The Halfbreed
by connerlocke
Summary: Unnatural.  That's what some people would call me.  A half-breed.  Part demon.  Slytherin.  Muggle born.  Backwards.  These are all things people would call me.  And, in their own way, most of them are right.  My name is Reed Sumner and this is my tale.
1. Demons, Letters, and a Singing Hat

**... The beginning ...**

The small, pristine hallway contained only a few people, the rhythmic sound of footsteps the only sound. A tall man was pacing across the room, agitation and nervousness pouring out of him in waves, giving the image of a panther pacing in a cage. A hand brushed long, dark brown hair out of his face, and orange-red eyes drifted to the same door often. While it wasn't obvious to the average passerby at first glance, once one got close to this man it was obvious that he was something different. An aura of otherworldliness hung around him, his face narrow and angular, with worry etched across it and an air of regality around him.

The silence of the waiting room was pierced by a shrill scream, followed by the sound of a baby crying. It was all the man could do not to rush into the room, keeping his knees locked as he stood, staring at the door with the same nervous energy, not noticing the other members of the room rise to their feet. It was several minutes before a nurse exited that door, eyes scanning the room before settling on the man.

"Mr. Sumner?" He nodded warily, and her eyes softened. "Both your wife and daughter are alive and well. If you'll follow me, I can take you to them."

The man kept his steps controlled as they entered the room, seeing his fair haired wife sitting up in her bed, cradling a bundle in her arms. Eryn looked up, eyes shining with unshed tears as she smiled. "Oh Hayden, she looks just like you." He accepted the bundle from his wife, parting the blankets to look at his child, eyes softening. Thus Reed Sumner was born. The child of an average human and a demon.

**... A year later ... **

The couple sat in the living room, watching their daughter explore the room with curious eyes. Pictures were scattered across the room, depicting the trio, along with friends and family, all smiling broadly with the young girl, and toys were spread across the floor. An urgent knock at the door sounded through out the small house, and Eryn got up to answer the door as her husband amused the baby, both of them laughing joyfully as he played silly tunes on a wooden flute. There was nothing to make either of them suspicious, nothing that seemed out of place- they were expecting friends of theirs to come with their child. And that was the reason Hayden didn't suspect anything until the smell of blood permeated the air.

Within moments he had Reed in his arms, cradled protectively as he approached the hallway with a guarded expression, making sure to keep her tilted away as he took in the sight that awaited him. Eryn was dangling in the air, eyes flooded with fear and with a clawed hand keeping her suspended. Two figures stood behind her and her attacker, and he could immediately distinguish the familiar scent of demons, but none that he recognized. His grip on Reed tightened as the demon holding his wife captive spoke.

"Hayden Sumner." the man drawled, charm dripping from his voice. "It would be a shame if something were to happen to your pretty little human," his hand tightened around Eryn's neck and she gasped in pain. "because of any... unneeded unpleasantness. We'll be willing to be civilized if you are."

Hayden's voice held barely repressed fury as he demanded, "And what exactly are we supposed to be 'civilized' about?"

The man chuckled. "It really is very simple _milord_." contempt oozed from his voice. "You hand over your little half-breed whelp, and you get precious Eryn back." Hayden felt furious as he stared at the attackers, his gaze drifting from them, to his wife, whose eyes told him all the answer he needed, and then to the wide innocent eyes of his daughter, who was clutching the wooden flute that he didn't even remember releasing. He only had a slim chance. Smoothly, he dropped Reed to the ground, launching at his wife's captor. The man had no choice but to drop the woman or lose his head, and the group scattered, not foolish enough or willing to take on one of the most powerful demon lords still alive after the Great Purge.

The demon knelt down next to the unconscious body of his wife, who'd only managed to stay awake long enough to ensure that their child was alright before the impact of what had happened finally got to her. Reed was sitting on the other side of Eryn, still hugging the flute to her chest, treating it like a lifeline as she watched him with uncomprehending eyes. He sat there for a moment, deep in thought, before rising to his feet. With an impossible speed, he filled a small bag with everything he would need and left a note lying next to his wife. _Less then either of them deserve, _he thought, eyes full of regret as he knelt once more, pecking Eryn on the cheek and his daughter on the forehead. He laid a hand on her head briefly, smiling gently, before standing and walking out the door, his small pack slung across his shoulders. He couldn't bring himself to look back.

**... Ten years later ... *Reed's POV***

I stirred, eyes opening slightly just as a sliver of light began to emerge from between the curtains. _Sunrise again.._I sighed. I couldn't remember a single time that I hadn't woken up exactly at sunrise every day, no matter what the season. Groaning, I rolled out of bed, knowing better by now then to try and get back to sleep. I got dressed and made my way downstairs, my sensitive nose picking up the smell of pancakes before I'd even left the room and my stomach made itself known loudly. Aunt Eeva was already dressed and cooking at the stove, and I greeted her as I plopped down in a chair at the table. Just as Eeva set my plate infront of me, Mother sat down daintily, not even acknowleging that I was there. Just as she'd done as far back as I could remember. Aunt Eeva kept the conversation from becoming awkward as I just stared at my plate with more interest then was necessary, trying to finish and leave as soon as possible. I was on my feet and washing off my plate in no time, saying a quick 'bye' as I darted out the door with my bag in hand.

It was still too early for any of the others to be awake, so I scrambled up the oak tree outside our house and leaned against the trunk, just as I'd done time after time to escape the house. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a plain black instrument case, and drew my flute out. I'd had the flute ever since I was younger, it being one of the few momentos of my father we had. My aunt had paid for lessons without protest, even going to every concert. The flute was carved expertly out of wood, small designs etched into it with painstaking care, and it played sound as well as some of the best of flutes, much to my teachers' chargin.

Thinking for a moment, I drew the flute to my mouth and began to play one of the most recent songs I'd learned, letting the quick and cheerful song pierce the morning's drowsy silence. I went on like that, playing song after song to pass the time as the sun rose higher and higher in the air. As I returned my flute to it's case I saw something flicker out of the corner of my eye and barely managed to hold on to my perch in the tree as my eardrums were nearly shattered from a loud 'crack!' that I doubted even my aunt and mother couldn't hear. Ringing echoed in my ears for several moments as I cradled my head in pain, lying on my stomach precariously balancing on the branch, my flute case- thankfully closed- likely hit the ground, safely protecting the instrument inside. After several moments I looked up, blinking the dots swimming in my vision away and looking through a sheet of hair as I realized that someone had managed to approach where I was dangling while I was distracted.

The man below me wore what looked like a deep blue robe, and a matching pointed hat on his head. He seemed to be incredibly old, with long silver hair and an equally long silver beard tucked into his belt, and his eyes - an electric blue behind half moon glasses that rested on a crooked nose - twinkled with a timeless knowledge and a child's curiosity and amusement directed toward the world around him. Despite his appearance, part of me - the part I associated with the demon half of my blood I'd inherited from my father - inwardly raised its hackles at the man.

After our gazes met, a series of emotions passed through his eyes, so quickly that had I not had enhanced vision I wouldn't have caught them. First there was reconizition, then surprise, amazement, and then back to that same amusement I'd seen before. "Well that can't be comfortable." he said casually. I scrambled back onto the limb, never taking my eyes off of him for more than a few seconds as I crawled back down the tree. He waited patiently as I came back down to ground level, watching him warily and not moving as I waited for him to speak. He just smiled in bemusement, holding out his hand, which had my flute case resting there, without so much as a scratch.

Hesitantly, I reached for the black case, watching for any tricks he could have been using. Again he just smiled once more, asking, "You are Ms. Sumner, correct?" I considered for a moment. Seeing no reason to lie, I nodded, even more wary now that he had confirmed that he had come looking for me. He gestured towards the house, making sure to walk right next to me the entire way.

The house looked the same as it always had; a simple, white house with two stories and several rooms, with the neighbors' houses further down the road. The inside was painted with a variety of colors- my aunt and I had gone wild when my mother went out one day, painting each of the rooms different colors and painting little designs and scenes in some of the rooms. I led him to the orange dining room, where Aunt Eeva and Mother were still sitting at the table. Eeva rose to her feet when she saw the man walking slightly in front of me, her eyebrows knitting in concern while Mother just watched with a bored expression while sipping her coffee.

The man sat down, gesturing for my aunt and I to do the same. We did so, cautiously. He cleared his throat, linking his fingers together and looking at us over the rim of his half-moon glasses. "To start, I should introduce myself: I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." he held up and hand slightly, cutting off my aunt's question. "As I said, Hogwarts teaches young witches and wizards how to control their powers. Wizards and witches, to be frank, have always been living, hiding among and separate from the non-magical people- Muggles- along with other magical creatures." He reached into his cloak and pulled out what looked like an ornate stick. Pointing it at his head, his blue hat changed into a squirrel; then a scarf; then a christmas hat; finally changing back into his original headware. "Wizards and witches born into families with other witches and wizards would only have been sent a letter," he pulled a sealed letter written on thick parchment out of his robes. " while witches and wizards born into Muggle- non-magical- families would have been sent someone who could explain everything. However, I now realize that this case is slightly unique, considering your bloodline, Ms. Sumner. Your father, his name was Hayden Sumner?" I nodded, not willing to talk. "I thought so. You really are the spitting image of him, my dear." At this, I perked up inwardly. This was the first I'd heard anything about my dad for years, Aunt Eeva and Mother preferring to avoid talking about him when possible. Dumbledore slid the letter toward me before folding his hands together, letting me make my own decision.

I picked up the letter warily, expecting some kind of trick, but nothing happened. Glancing at him in distrust once more, I broke the seal on the letter and began reading.

**Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry**

_Ms. R. Sumner, _

_The Green Room Upstairs,_

_302, Forest Cove_

_Wiltshire. _

_Dear Ms. Sumner, _

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wisardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. _

_Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours sincerely, _

_**Minerva McGonagall**__, _

_Minerva McGonagall_

_(Deputy Headmistress)_

There the letter ended, and glancing over the second parchment I saw a list of required books and equipment.

"So you expect me to believe that theres a school that teaches magic? To kids?" He nodded. "And you're.. the headmaster of this school?" My tone sounded more than a little skeptical.

"It's true." my head shot around, meeting Mother's eyes for the first time in weeks. "Hay-... Your father mentioned this school before. He didn't go there himself, but said that he was going to make arrangements for you to go there when you were old enough." she continued sipping her coffee as my eyes bored into hers, slightly surprised at hearing her speak more words to me today than she had for months at a time.

"Ms. Sumner, can you honestly say, knowing what your father was and what you are, that you can't see any way to believe in magic?" The older man's eyes bore into mine.

I thought for a moment, considering. What he'd showed me before couldn't have been anything other than magic, and it was true that I couldn't exactly be considered normal, what with my being able to hear and smell things from far away, and being able to pick out individual details even in the darkest room. But even so... My aunt laid a gently hand on my arm, and I turned to meet her gaze.

"Reed, I think he's telling the truth. Why don't we trust him?" I nodded slowly, still slightly reluctant to trust a complete stranger. Aunt Eeva then turned her attention to Dumbledore. "Now, where exactly are we supposed to get these school supplies of yours? I doubt that they can be found in your average store."

And that was how the next day found my aunt and I walking through a huge stone archway, pockets full of the wizard money we'd gotten from Dumbledore in exchange for the pounds we'd given him, keeping in mind that I would likely need some of the money during the school year.

I was overwhelmed by all of the sights and smells of Diagon Alley, and Aunt Eeva seemed awed by the wizarding marketplace. There were joke shops emiting loud bangs and whistles; a sweet and icecream shop with wonderful and mouthwatering aromas wafting from their doors, while the Apothecary had smells so horrible that I almost wrinkled my nose from the smell, even from the distance we were away from it now. There was a robe store, and an ancient looking store claiming to sell wands, both facing a book store, next to which was an animal shop with rattling cages containing animals from cats to owls to some kind of glowing animal that darted about in its cage too quickly for me to get a good look at it. A huge marble building stood at the other end of the alley, with golden letters deeming it _GRINGOTTS_. Stalls and other shops were spread around the alley, with chattering people wearing both robes and clothes like ours milling in between.

I checked the school list. First we'd have to get a wand.

A bell rang as we entered the musty wand shop, echoing through the stacks as Aunt Eeva sat down on the lone and spindly chair. I looked around us in amazement, and a subtle smell covered the room, a smell a small part of my mind recognized as old magic- which seemed both alien and familiar to my mind. Huge stacks towered all the way to the ceiling, and filling every slot were wand cases. The store itself was musty; but it was the air itself that practically hummed with the same old magic that I had smelled before.

A quiet scuffling broke the silence of the shop. "Well, well," a raspy voice said softly, before speaking louder. "I'd been expecting to see you around this time, Reed Sumner." Turning, I saw an old man, his pale silver eyes examining us, piercing in the dark gloom of the shop, even more so to my eyes. "Your father spoke to me, years ago. Just after you were born, I believe. Never needed a wand himself, but wanted to ensure that you would get one if you were able to use a wand. Well now, let's get to work. Which arm is your wand arm?"

I held out my right arm, slightly curious.

He held out a measuring tape, which then began measuring me from fingertips to forearm, wrist to shoudler, knee to shoulderblade, and he began talking as he looked through the stacks. "Let's see... what color do you like, Ms. Sumner?" he asked as the measuring tape seemed to finish and went limp.

"Any color, sir."

"How about.. this one? Purple heart wood and veela hair. Eight inches." he held out a wand to me, only to yank it away before I even tightened my grip on it. Over and over again he handed me wand after wand, and I couldn't help but wonder if half demons really _could_ use wands as the pile on his desk grew. Ollivander snapped his fingers, darting back into the stacks, and I could hear his footsteps move further into the store, stopping at the back before returning with two wands. Holding out the first, he gestured for me to take it, saying, "Cocobolo and siren bone core. Eleven inches."

I picked it up, only to feel repulsed at the feeling I got from the wand. The surface was too rough, a bitter feeling emanating from where my hand firmly grasped the wand. I shook my head, placing it back in its case quickly. He held out the second wand, saying, "This wand wasn't made by me, but passed on by my mentor. Blue mahoe, griffin tail feather core. Seven inches."

The wand was a white-silver color, occasionally taking on a blue tint as the sun coming in from the window hit it. I stared at it, captivated, before taking it gingerly from the box. The wood felt _right_ in my hand, the surface both rough and smooth, almost familiar resting in my palm. As my grip tightened, a warm feeling rushed down my arm and orange sparks shot from the end.

Ollivander clapped. "Wonderful! A unique wand for a unique individual." he practically beamed. Aunt Eeva paid for the wand, thanking him softly before we exited the store. We split up, Aunt Eeva agreeing to buy the books as I bought the robes, afterward browsing through the alley until it was time for us to leave, unless we wanted to be home after dark.

I went to sleep, my room packed with wizarding supplies, smiling slightly at the ceiling painted to resemble a sunrise, before quickly drifting off to sleep.

**... ...**

I hugged my aunt lightly, and she said a tearful goodbye as I turned to the platform. I closed my eyes tightly, running forward with my trolley quickly. The smell of smoke filled my nose, and I opened my eyes to see a brilliant scarlet train before me. All around me, students and parents of every age and wearing a variety of different clothes milled, saying their last goodbyes before leaving. As I wheeled my trolley toward the train, I passed several people wearing long robes, along with bewildered looking people wearing Muggle clothing, all reluctant to part with their children. The younger students, most close to my age, looked around in slight awe, while the older students greeted each other loudly, loitering in front of the train.

I heaved my heavy trunk up the steps to the train, flicking dark brown hair out of my face as I finally succeeded. I tugged the trunk down the train, quickly finding an empty compartment. After a few painstaking minutes, I managed to shove my trunk on the luggage rack above the seats, collapsing onto the opposite seat later on with the door closed, feeling the train jerk slightly into motion. I braced one leg against the chair facing me, watching the scenery blur past us.

After a few minutes, I heard the sound of a clattering cart coming down the corridor, stopping at every compartment briefly before continuing on. When it reached my compartment, the door slid open, revealing a young looking woman with a huge grin on her face, pushing a cart infront of her. "Would you like anything off of the cart, m'dear?"

Curious, I got to my feet, my face lighting up at the wonderful smells coming from the cart. Grinning inwardly, I bought several of the candies and pastries on the cart, planning on sending some of them to my aunt as I munched on chocolate, putting the rest in my trunk for later. As we neared Hogwarts, I began feeling more and more restless, getting dressed in the robes and fidgeting in my seat. I rose to my feet, deciding to do something productive as I got my sheet music out of my trunk, having already been carrying my flute with me. I hoped that being toward the back of the train would mean less people hearing me before lifting my flute to my mouth and beginning to play.

I started out playing a slower song, gradually becoming quicker as I warmed up, ending on a high note that trailed on, just as the train began to slow down. One of the people patrolling the corridor told me to leave my trunk in the compartment; they would be placed in our rooms later on. I put my wand and flute case in the pockets of my robes and joined the rest of the students flooding out of the train. A light drizzle made my hair stick to my face as I heard a booming voice call, "Firs' years! All firs' years o'er hear!"

I followed the voice, coming from a huge man that towered over all of the other students, looking over ten feet tall as I stopped in front of him, craning my neck to see him.

"I'm Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper o' Hogwarts." he introduced himself, eyes sparkling good-naturedly underneath bushy eyebrows. "All firs' years have to cross the castle on boats."

He led us down a narrow path, surrounded by trees. I felt thankful for my demon blood as I heard some of the other students stumbling over roots and rocks in the semi-dark light that I could see in perfectly. The path opened up at the end, revealing a glittering lake, so huge that I could barely see the opposite shore. A line of boats with lanterns hanging on the front laid on the shallow shore. On the other end of the lake, A vast castle with several turrets and towers stood atop a mountain, several of its windows glittering with light.

"No more'n four to a boat!" Hagrid called over the talking of the other first years, and I climbed into a boat along with three girls that chattered the entire way, not paying attention as Hogwarts became nearer and nearer. As the castle became closer, I could make out more details, becoming more awed the closer we got. The entire place seemed warm and inviting, and a stray breeze brought the subtle smell of magic with it from the direction of the school. The entire structure seemed majestic, and had an aura of mystery around it as the boats entered a tunnel, coming out in a small hidden dock, where all of the first years scrambled out of their boats. Hagrid led all of the first years up a flight of stone steps, grinning reassuringly before knocking on a huge oak door.

**... ...**

The doors swung open, revealing a stern-faced witch with glasses and a tight bun, and my first thought was that she would be a bad person to cross.

"Thank you, Hagrid. I'll take them from here." She spoke in a strict tone.

"I'm sure yeh will, Prof'ssor McGonagall." he replied with a discreet wink toward where we were standing before walking back to where we came.

She wordlessly motioned for us to follow, and we soon found ourselves in a huge corridor outside a huge pair of double-doors, behind which I could hear the older students already seated. The witch turned to us.

"My name is Professor McGonagall, and welcome to Hogwarts. You may refer to me as Professor or Ma'am." her piercing gaze looked over all of us in turn, lingering on a messy-haired boy's crooked glasses and the flute that could be seen poking out of my robe pocket. "You would do well to remember that none of the teachers, especially me, will allow tardiness or messiness of any sort." We all nodded, and the boy tried in vain to fix his hair while I straightened my headband slightly.

"In a moment these doors will open and you shall be sorted into your respective houses. While you are here, your house will serve as your family. You will spend every moment with your house, go to classes together, eat together, spend your free time together. The houses you could be sorted into are Griffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Each house has its own history and it's own distinctive traits. Each house has a head Professor, and during times of need your Head of House should be sought out before any of the other teachers or Headmaster. There will also be prefects in every house, ready to help out new studens, and the Head Boy and Girl can also be sought out for any problems you might have." Here she stopped, giving a slight smile that only a few students caught before saying, "Good luck." She left the chamber, and the other students broke into rapid talking.

"How do you figure we'll be sorted?" one boy asked, looking slightly intimidated.

"My sister said you have to go through a trial!" one girl said.

"I heard they release some kind of monster for us to fight!"

" I heard that we have to show a special talent."

"Well, all I know is that I'll be horrified if I wind up in Hufflepuff." One boy said, grey eyes looking around in arrogance.

The bespecticled boy with messy hair looked at him. "Hufflepuff is better than _Slytherin_," His face formed a sneer. "There hasn't been a single person that's gone bad that hasn't been in Slytherin. It attracts thugs and horrible personalities."

The other boy scowled. "Nearly everyone in my families' been in Slytherin. I don't doubt that I'll turn out the same."

Before their conversation could continue, the huge doors opened, and all of the first years fell silent. Wordlessly, we walked in single file, pass countless pairs of eyes as we entered the Great Hall. Looking up, I watched in amazement as the ceiling seemed to fade, replaced with the same starry night that could be seen outside, along with floating candles that hovered over the tables. Dumbledore sat at the head of a table, with other teachers sitting on both sides of him. At the foot of their table, sitting on a lone stool, was a grubby old hat. I and the others watched in shock as a rip at the brim of the hat appeared and it began to sing.

_"From the beginning I've sat here, _

_Looking into fresh and eager minds, _

_Pairing them, like with like, _

_Seeing individuals' true selves._

_Placed here by the great Founders Four, _

_I sit here eagerly on this stool, _

_Ready to place you in your houses, _

_And give you your new family._

_For those whose bravery never falters, _

_Even at the center of danger, _

_Keep your minds strong, your heads held proud, _

_Behold, brave Griffindor! The noblest hearts of all!_

_For those who have the kind of heart, _

_That could never leave a friend behind, _

_Keep your minds fresh, your arms held wide;_

_Great Hufflepuff! The kindest of them all!_

_For those who come seeking knowledge, _

_The wisdom of the ages, _

_Those who favor their destincitve wit, _

_Enter Ravenclaw! The den of brilliance!_

_For those whose minds are cunning, _

_Whose thoughts are shrewd and mindful, _

_You whose cunning outwits them all, _

_Honor Slytherin! The slyest of us all!_

_Now come to me, and let me tell, _

_Let me decide where you should go;_

_My purpose is not to set you apart,_

_But to bring you closer at the seams, _

_And bring you together in the end!"_

Cheers erupted around the Great Hall as the hat finished it's song. Glancing over, I saw that- aside from the teacher's table- there were four long tables laid with glittering plates and silverware and packed with students, each with different colored crests and ties on their uniforms, with brilliant banners hanging over the tables: one silver and green depicting a snake, another blue and copper with a raven, the next red and gold with a griffin, and the final one black and yellow with a badger. _Those must be the houses_, I thought inwardly, turning as the professor from before, Professor McGonagall, came to stand next to the stool with a roll of parchment.

"When I call your name, you will put on the Sorting Hat and be sorted into your houses. Andy, George!"

A tall boy rushed forward, placing the hat on his head. Almost immediately, the hat yelled out, "HUFFLEPUFF!" Everyone clapped as the boy sat at the table underneith the badger banner.

The Professor continued calling names, some taking no time at all, while other students sat there for several moments, and I only recognized a few faces as they all went to their separate houses. In what seemed like no time at all to my nervous mind, she called out, "Sumner, Reed!" I tried to keep my face blank of all emotion as the other students watched me make my way to the stool. A sea of faces was the last thing I saw before the huge hat fell over my eyes.

_"Well, well, what have we hear?" _the voice echoed in my ears as I stiffened, hands gripping the edge of the chair tightly. _"Another half-breed. Dumbledore does enjoy taking in your kind, doesn't he? Now what have we here, in your mind? Plenty of courage, certainly, but but too smart for recklessness. Much kindness, hidden behind masks and facades. An intelligence that rivals several of the smartest Ravenclaws, but it's here..." the hat paused for a moment. "I see a great amount of cunning, and the will to prove yourself to others. It's that which will aid you here, aid in keeping your deep secret. Half-demon, you will be put in-_

SLYTHERIN!" The table under the green and silver banner clapped as I sat down, facing the rest of the room. Several of the students nodded slightly before turning their attention back to the students. Looking up, I could see a dark look disapear from his face, almost too quick for me to catch it.

As the last student, "Zanders, Doreen," was sorted into Ravenclaw and the ceremony ended, Proffessor McGonagall whisked the stool and hat off the platform with a flick of her wand, and Dumbledore rose to his feet. Silence immediately fell across the hall.

"Welcome to a brand new year at Hogwarts! This year, I only have two words to say to you: Dig in."

A wonderful mixture of aromas filled my senses, scaring me to no end as food suddenly filled every available space on the table. I piled my plate high with food, listening to the other Slytherins' conversations.

As everyone finished their dinners and deserts, several of the students yawned sleepily and I fought to stay alert. Professor Dumbledore rose to his feet.

"And now, before we all climb into our welcoming beds, "here several people yawned once more. "I have a few start-of-term notices to give.

"All first years should know that the forest on the castle grounds is strictly forbidden to all who hope to remain alive and well. Second, the Whomping Willow tree at the edge of the forest is also forbidden, and it is not recommended to go near it for your own safety. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of the term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should speak with Madame Hooch. Also, Mr. Filch would like me to remind all students of the many banned items of the school, whose list can be seen hanging outside his office, and that magic is prohibited in the hallways. And now I shan't keep you from your beds for a moment longer. So scoot!"

A loud rumbling ensued as all of the students rose to their feet, the older students going for the exits as the first years stood there uncertainly. A black-harired girl and sleek-haired blond boy made their way towards the group I was in, the latter looking bored as she said, "All right, follow me, and make sure you don't get lost. The Slytherin Common room is near impossible to get to on your own. She glared at all of us before turning on her heels and leading the way.

We followed silently, going through twisting stairways, going lower and deeper into the schools, coldness seeping in through my robes as we made our way through the dungeons. The prefect stopped in front of a stone wall, turning to look at us sharply. "This is the entrance to the Slytherin common room. You can identify it by this snake carving on the wall." She gestured to a small etching in the wall, hardly noticeable in the torchlight. "The password is Blood Traitor." The stone wall opened into a doorway, and we all stepped inside.

**... ...**


	2. Slytherins and Spring

**... ...**

The common room was a long stone room, with doors on either end of the room. A fire crackled under an elaborate mantelpiece, with high-backed green chairs gathered around it, and lamps hanging from chains threw an eerie green light over the room. The Slytherin crest hung over the mantelpiece, a green and silver snake rearing it's head. The prefect gestured towards the two doors on opposite ends of the room.

"Right, the door on the left leads to the boy's dormitories, and the girls are on the right. To get into the room, just wave your wand infront of the snake engraving, it looks the same as it did on the entrance to the common rooms. Your trunks will be waiting for you in your assigned rooms." with that, she turned on her heel, going for the right-hand door while the other prefect went to the left-hand side.

With a flourish, both of them drew their wands and waved it before the door and the stone doors moved, revealing two passages. Quickly, all of the first years split up to go to their dormitories, speaking quietly as they did so. I walked in silence, quickly finding the room with my name on the outside and slipping inside as the other girls chattered amongst themselves.

The room had a huge bed with green curtains hanging above it. My trunk was pushed against a wall, next to a plain dresser and mirror and further exploration revealed a bathroom that connected to the room next to mine and a small closet for my clothes. I changed into some brightly colored pajamas, locked the door, and crawled into the bed. The moment my head hit the pillow I was asleep, my wand resting on the table next to me.

**... ...**

I looked into the mirror infront of me, smoothing out non-existent wrinkles in my uniform. The plain grey sweater and black skirt could only be described as slightly boring, with the green and silver tie loosely tied around my neck, the Slytherin crest adorning the top of my sweater. Red-orange eyes looked out from behind the few strands of hair that always managed to escape the colorfully striped headband I wore, which I blew out of the way in annoyance. Long dark brown hair fell down past my waist, hair that both I and my aunt could never bring ourselves to cut.

Figuring that there was no reason to stay, I sighed in resignation before slinging my bag over my shoulder and leaving my room, encountering few people this early in the morning as I retraced my steps to the Great Hall. Only a few students were eating breakfast when I arrived, yawning into their meals as I piled my plate with food. Other students began to trickle in as I ate, shuffling sleepily while I sat there, wide awake with one of my books from home infront of me. As most of the seats in the Great Hall were filled and voices called out to each other over the din of conversations, I heard a soft rushing sound that grew louder by the second.

With a loud '_whoosh_', hundreds of owls flew down from the ceiling, all of different colors and sizes, bearing packages and letters that they delivered faithfully to their destinations.

There was clattering and rustling all around me as students eagerly opened gifts from home, and a boy next to me pointed at the book I was reading, smiling widely as he asked, "What are you reading?"

"A book." my tone insinuated that he was stupid as I continued reading.

"Is that book any good?" he persisted, insistent on being friendly.

Several girls shot me looks as I responded in a bored voice, "I suppose." Not even glancing up, I turned the page as he blinked in shock. Sadly, he recovered quickly.

"What's it about?" He leaned forward, invading my personal space to get a glimpse at the book I was reading. His voice was loud, and by this point a couple of students at the other tables were beginning to point our direction and whispering.

I looked up from my book slowly when he moved too close, and he froze at my frosty expression. I raised my eyebrow slightly, silently asking if he wanted to continue speaking. He and several other first years looked fearful for a moment before bending their heads to their food and packages, avoiding my gaze. I heard hushed whisperings down the table as I continued reading, ignoring all of them. As the majority of the students finished their breakfast, teachers began moving down the house tables handing out schedules. An enormously fat man, with little hair on the top of his head and the beginnings of a mustache passed out schedules down our table, and I accepted mine with a quiet "thank you."

I closed my book and glanced over my schedule for today. First was Potions with Professor Slughorn.

I left the Great Hall early, intent on finding my way to class as soon as possible. After thirty minutes of going through endless, winding passageways and tripping on a trick stair step, I finally found the class by asking a Slytherin for directions. Somehow, I was still one of the first students there, the only other people a red-haired Griffindor girl and a greasy-haired Slytherin that were setting up their cauldron and speaking quietly. I set up my cauldron toward the back of the room, plopping my bag down next to my seat as I waited for the teacher. Both Griffindors and Slytherins gradually filled the room, and they talked amongst themselves while we waited for class to start. I noticed some of them throw me looks out of the corner of my eye, and looked back at them blandly before staring at the front of the room.

Exactly when the class was supposed to start, the same short fat man that had given me my schedule walked in, his belly swinging as he grinned jovially. "Good moring, class!" Everyone greeted him with mixed amounts of enthusiasm as he began taking roll, and I zoned out while waiting for the class to begin, only speaking to say "Here" when he got to my name.

When he finished, he looked around the room, seeming to only now take notice of the fact that everyone- besides the two that had arrived before everyone else- were sitting according to their houses, the Slytherins on the left side of the room and the Griffindors on the other side. He tsked slightly. "Honestly, and here I'd been hoping that this year would be the year that the house rivalries would end. You there!" He pointed at a Griffindor that had pulled up an extra seat so that she could sit with the other members of her house, who froze guiltily. "I believe that there's an empty seat over there for you!" with a sense of foreboding, I watched as he pointed next to where I was sitting, and the poor girl gathered her things and moved over here while the other students watched on in slight horror. Professor Slughorn then began pairing the other Griffindors and Slytherins together, not taking notice in the death glares he received from both houses as he continued through the class.

He clapped, looking at his handy work. Students sat at the extreme edge of their tables, some glaring at each other, others looking in opposite directions. "I hope you're happy with your partners, because they'll be your partners for the rest of the year!" He beamed proudly, while the rest of us merely stared at him. "Well," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Today we're going to do a simple Swelling Solution just to get you warmed up to making potions. The directions are on the board," with a flick of his wand a list of instructions appeared. "as well as on page twenty-one of your book. Ingredients," with another flick of his wand a cupboard at the back of the room flew open, revealing rows filled with jars and boxes. "are in that cupboard. You have forty minutes, begin!"

I turned my head to look at my new partner. She had red ringlets that fell to her shoulders, framing a soft face and electric blue eyes. I could see some kind of earrings through her hair, and she was short, but still taller than me by a few inches. I tried to seem polite, saying, "If you get the ingredients, I'll make the potion." She nodded slowly, and I flipped through the pages of the book, finding the directions for a Swelling Solution. Looking over the directions, I nodded. It seemed like a very simple potion.

When my partner got back, the water was already bubbling slightly as I rolled my sleeves up, taking half of the ingredients and pushing the other half to her, chopping up some of the onion roots as she did the same. She began talking quickly as I measured the necessary amount of ingredients.

"So you're Reed, right? You can just call me Spring, everyone else does! My real name's Victoria, Victoria Carvorinor, but really, who goes by 'Victoria' anymore? I don't know _what _my parents were thinking, but after a while people just called me Spring- because of my hair of course- and it just kind of stuck. Hey, maybe you should have a nickname. Reed suits you, but wouldn't it just be cool to both be called by something different?" She paused, waiting for an answer. I looked up from where I was stirring the potion, raising an eyebrow. She laughed nervously, before speaking even quicker than before. "So anyway, what's with the name 'Victoria' -which is my name in case I didn't tell you. I mean, it's such an.. _old fashioned _name, and we aren't in the eighteenth century any more. Well, I guess that's pureblood wizards for you- heads always stuck in the past!"

I snorted softly. "So you're one of _those_ people. The ones obsessed with 'blood purity'." I said with disgust. She looked shocked, staring at me for a moment before recovering.

"No! Of course not! I mean, sure, my parents are both purebloods, but I could care less about things like that! I'm not a Sly-" she cut herself off, looking at me in trepidation, seeing if I caught her slip before continuing hurriedly. "Not... someone _like that_" she laughed nervously, and I finished brewing the potion silently, her prattling in a fast voice as our potion slowly changed to the light green color that the book described. We sat there, waiting for Slughorn to make it to our desk, watching as he praised some people and chatted with everyone, while Spring continued talking.

**... ...**

"... and then all of the pets in the store rushed out, with the poor shop owner rushing after them, while we're just standing there looking confused with the owl on my mom's shoulder!" I laughed quietly, actually paying attention to her story. Spring laughed along with me, grinning broadly.

We'd been at school for several months, I'd finally gotten the hang of my schedule, getting to all of my classes early, and going to the common room late so that I could avoid all of my fellow Slytherins. While they all believed that I was a pure-blood- a rumor that I hadn't even needed to fuel- I still got annoyed when they started spewing predjudices about half-breeds and muggles all the time. I sent letters to my aunt nearly every day- and letters to my Muggle friends every few days. Spring had started speaking to me outside of potions class, and I found out that she wasn't as annoying after a few weeks.

My classes were, by far, extremely different compared to the classes I'd had at my Muggle school. Every Thursday night we went up to the Astronomy Tower to map the stars and planets, and three days a week we went to different green houses to study different plants and fungi.

History of Magic, despite it's horribly boring teacher, was at least fun to learn about. Charms, taught by Professor Flitwick, was definitely my worst class. My teachers were slightly surprised that I was one of their best students in my classes, but failed miserably at Charms. I could do some of the basic spells, but couldn't get any better than that. Professor McGonagall, I was happy to learn, did not pick favorites based on their houses as obviously as Slughorn did. She was, however, very strict most of the time, giving complicated notes and warning that any trouble makers would be leaving without a second chance. Care of Magical Creatures was taught by Professor Kettleburn, a wizard with graying hair that always handled the creatures in class himself, and was interesting in itself.

It was Defense Against the Dark Arts and it's teacher, Professor Clarke, that was the most interesting, despite the fact that he didn't seem to like me. On the first day of classes with him, he'd gone down the role, much like Slughorn had. When he got to my name, however, he looked up, scanning the room, until his gaze landed on me. His face seemed to darken for a second, not long enough for any of the other students to even catch a glimpse, and then he continued going down the list of names like nothing had happened. He was young, for a teacher, with light brown hair and light blue eyes. He gave both class work and practical lessons, making each class interesting no matter what we were talking about, but always made sure to ask me questions every once in a while, and sometimes looked at me oddly when I made a comment.

Spring and I had several of our classes together, we would walk to class talking the entire time. My birthday went by without a hitch, my aunt sending me a few presents with the school owls, and Christmas break went by very quickly. Before I knew it, exams were upon us, and I studied none stop in the library, finding it relaxing compared to the shrewd gazes I got from the other Slytherins in the Common room. Just as quickly, exams were over, and Spring and I were standing at Platform Nine and Three Quarters, promising to owl each other as we went in separate directions, me going to meet Aunt Eeva where she was standing with her car.

Her face brightened as I approached, lugging my trunk behind me. "Reed!" she called happily, enveloping me in a huge hug. I relished the sweet smell of apple blossoms and the shampoo she always bought, feeling a pang when I thought about our home at the top of the hill with its painted rooms and oak tree in the front yard, happy to finally be back.

She helped me load my trunk into the car, talking happily as we drove home, telling me all that I missed. She only left me when we got home, saying that she had to finish cooking dinner- along with all of my favorites. My stomach rumbled, reminding me of my aunt's delicious food.

No sooner had I walked up stairs and sat my trunk in the corner of my room than the door to my room burst open, and two blurs raced in, enveloping me in a tight hug.

**... ...**

**Well, thanks to the (one) reviewer I got, Mona! Thanks to the rest of you too, but please write **_**something**_** for a review, I honestly don't care what! Helpful critisisms will be contemplated over, and trolls or flamers will be mocked openly. I'd like to thank my two co-authors too, who know who they are. xD**

**-connerlocke~**


	3. Library Conversations

**... ...**

I laughed, pushing my two friends off of me, and they tumbled to the floor.

"It's about time you got back!" Kennan complained, leaning back on his hands. His light brown hair fell just above light green eyes, which he flicked out of the way in annoyance. Nash nodded with mock seriousness, sitting with his legs crossed, his short blond hair longer than it had been before, light hazel eyes glittering with the same mischief that had gotten the three of us in trouble more than once.

I laughed. "I see you two managed to survive without me."

Nash grinned. "It was a close thing. Without you to pick on, we had to resort to coming up with other ways to entertain ourselves. The poor neighbors were ready to move when we found out that you were coming home." I felt a small flash of sympathy for the neighbors, having to deal with these two the entire semester, but that spark of sympathy was quickly extinguished.

"So." Kennan leaned forward, and I felt slightly wary of the expression on his face. "Did you actually talk to anyone at school, or are we going to have to play bodyguard in case the people you've snubbed come to get even?" I grinned inwardly, imagining the looks on their faces if I told them about some of the people in my house, and their rivalry with the other houses. We talked throughout the rest of the night and continued throughout dinner, and it was nice to be able to talk to my normal friends, despite having to filter out the magical attributes of my new school.

**... ...**

"Oh," Aunt Eeva began, passing me a plate to dry. It was just after dinner, a few days before I would be leaving for Hogwarts, much to the relief of the other families nearby. If they'd thought that having me around would temper Nash and Kennan, they'd had another thing coming. "You know that house next door, the one the old owners have been trying to sell?"

I knew the one she was talking about. It'd been put on the market when Mother and I'd first moved in with Aunt Eeva, and I had never even seen someone out looking at it. It was two stories, like our house, but was much larger than ours. The inside was very grand, with plenty of rooms, a huge dining room, and even a foyer for entertaining guests. The back yard was spacious, with only a few trees and a small lake, the edge of the yard giving way to the same forest that ran behind our house. It was nearer than the other houses down this street. Kennan and Nash had found a way inside it long ago, and we snuck out there sometimes to mess around in the lake.

"What about it?" I felt slightly curious. Most people chose not to live out here, preferring to be somewhere closer to the town.

"The other day Eryn said she saw a family looking at it, while we were shopping for your supplies. We might just have new neighbors when you come to visit over your Christmas break." she sounded hopeful; the only neighbors, beside Nash and Kennan's parents, we had were like Mother- stuck up and high and mighty- and felt that they were above my aunt and I, but had no problems with Mother, unsurprisingly.

"Huh. I wonder what they would want with such a large house." I said idly, and we continued chatting until she shooed me upstairs, saying, "You'll be up early tomorrow, so go! You won't want to be sleepy!" I went up stairs obediently, falling asleep almost instantly.

**... ...**

The next morning I rose early at dawn, as usual, had breakfast, and scrambled madly around the house for my school supplies. Books and assignments were scattered around the house: some wedged underneath chairs and hiding in muggle books; one was even perched precariously on a branch of my favorite tree. Tossing everything into my trunk as neatly as possible, I gave my room one last look over before nodding, slinging the strap of my flute case over my shoulder and dragging my trunk down the stairs and into the car. Looking around once more, I nodded to myself and got into the car, where Aunt Eeva was waiting, having already said my goodbyes with Nash and Kennan, along with a chilly farewell to my mother.

At King's Cross Station, I hugged my aunt goodbye, promising to write to her regularly with the school owls and rushed through the platform wall. I couldn't stop myself from flinching when passing through the barrier- even though I'd gone through it twice, I still expected to hit a solid wall when going to the platform. Much like last year, the platform was full of energy, with students and parents rushing to and fro, saying their goodbyes and waiting until the last minute to board the train. Luck was with me, and I managed to lug my trunk up the steps and find the compartment I'd sat in last year without much of a hassle. I struggled a little with shoving my trunk onto the luggage rack, and sat down on the seat, watching a few stragglers rush onto the train just as it jerked into motion with amusement.

The door to my compartment slid open, and I looked away from the window to see three boys standing in the doorway. I recognized all of them to be Griffindors in my year, but couldn't remember the names that went with their faces. One of them, with messy black hair and slightly crooked glasses was arguing with a boy with slightly grown black hair, from the sound of it, they were arguing about Quidditch teams, neither noticing me. The third boy, thin with shaggy light brown hair, noticed me immediately, the other boys bumping into him as he stopped in his tracks.

"I'm sorry, but is this compartment taken? We couldn't find any other that wasn't full." he grinned apologetically, while the other two boys- having ceased arguing for the moment- craned their heads to see who their friend was talking to.

I shook my head, gesturing to the empty seats, "There's just me, you can sit here if you want." I halfheartedly hoped that they would sit somewhere else, but the two that had been arguing plopped down on the seats across from me, leaving the third boy to sit next to me. As he took his seat, an odd smell wafted from him. He smelled different... almost like a dog. Then it hit me. Wolf. He smelled like wolf. I looked up in curiosity, my eyes meeting honey colored eyes, flecked with gold. He looked slightly disturbed, and wary, sniffing slightly like he smelled something odd. I shrugged, turning my attention to his friends. I would find out later, but for now I would make sure to keep an eye out for him.

The second boy smiled flirtatiously, his grey eyes sparkling in a way I instantly didn't like. "I'm Sirius Black, and might I add that I'm truly honored to be in the presence of such a-"

The boy with messy hair interrupted him, thrusting his hand out towards me with a cocky grin, "Just ignore my friend here, he's horribly mentally incompetent. Still wets the bed and everything." ("Hey!" Sirius pouted, sulking in the corner) "I'm James, James Potter, and the shy bloke's Remus Lupin. You are..?"

"Reed Sumner." I sat there, wondering how long he'd keep his hand there before he realized that I wasn't going to shake his hand. I watched in amusement as an awkward look crossed his face and he lowered his hand slowly.

Sirius whistled, clapping James on the shoulder. "Rejected, mate." The door to the compartment slid open again, and a slightly pudgy boy with brown hair and a ratlike face plopped down on one of the seats, panting and grasping a large pile of candy and a few galleons.

"Finally!" James wined, grabbing the sweets out of the larger boys hands. "I'm starved!" I watched as he and Sirius stuffed the candy in their mouths as quickly as possible, curious about whether or not they'd choke. They made casual conversation after they finished their sweets, trying in vain to include me in the conversation while I read a book.

Once again, the compartment door slid open, and I twitched slightly. Was a quiet train ride so much to ask for? Did everyone suddenly have the urge to come and visit the antisocial girl or something? Four boys I recognized from my common room stood there, already wearing their Hogwarts uniform and smirking. They didn't seem to see me, all of their attention turned towards the other for members of my compartment, who were on their feet and looking tense. The boy that seemed to act as their little leader stepped forward, blond hair cropped just above dark brown eyes.

"Well well, look at this. Two blood traitors and two half bloods, how cute. Just what will your Mother think, Black, shaming your family by befriending people such as this?" Sirius' face darkened, he and the others drawing their wands. I rose to my feet silently, unnoticed by the others, also drawing my wand.

"Sod off, Fletcher." Sirius growled, looking murderous.

The Slytherin continued, ignoring Sirius as his cronies also drew their wands. "I mean, just look at them. First you have Potter, coming from a line of _Muggle_ lovers, blood traitors, the lot of him. Then there's precious Lupin, with his disgusting Muggle mother. Pettigrew, well, there's not much that needs to be said about him, is there?" He smiled arrogantly, turning his attention to me as he noticed my presence. "And what's this? A little girl for-" He cut off, taking a good look at me. I raised an eyebrow as he looked me up and down, finally recognized me.

"Do go on. I'm _very_ curious about what you were about to say, Fletcher."

Some of the other Slytherins shifted slightly, looking back and forth from me and him. He looked at me curiously, noticing my wand held at the ready and pointed steadily at him. "What are _you_ doing here, Sumner? I figured that you wouldn't keep company such as these," he gestured towards the four boys. "idiots."

I shrugged. "They wouldn't leave me alone." Might as well tell the truth. The Slytherins looked at me in disbelief while I looked back blandly. "Also, you may want to take note of the time. The prefects will be patrolling the halls soon, and I'd hate for our house to lose points because of some stupid squabble before we've even gotten to Hogwarts." A lie, but they didn't need to know that. Fletcher nodded slowly, and they backed out of the compartment, scowling. As the compartment door emptied of people, I plopped down on the seat, opening my book to find the page I'd been on. The boys looked at each other in disbelief before James spoke up.

"Wait, that's _it_? We didn't even get to knock out that git Fletcher!"

I looked up with a bored expression, "If you want to pick a stupid fight, go ahead. When you lose, I'll be here waiting to laugh at you and say 'I told you so.'"

The other boys sat down, and Sirius grinned. "You know, I get the feeling that she just doesn't like you, mate."

"I can't imagine where you got that idea." I said, putting a slip of candy wrapper in my book to mark the page and rising to my feet. "Now, get out." They looked at me in astonishment.

"Wait, I was just kidding! What did you do?" Sirius turned on James.

"Me? What did _you_ do to tick her off?" James countered, and they started arguing. I facepalmed.

"OI!" They stopped arguing, looking up. "I have to change into my robes and you can't stay in here while I do so. Seeing as how I was in this compartment to begin with, _you_ need to get out of here." They just sat there.

James raised his eyebrow, and I fumed inwardly at his stealing my thing. "And you're going to make us do that... how?" He and Sirius stood up, smirking as they stood several heads taller than me. I grinned inwardly before pointing my wand at them and muttering quietly. They yelled out as they were lifted into the air, and I tossed them out the compartment door easily, Remus and Pettigrew wisely scampering out behind them as I slid the compartment door shut and drew the blinds shut on the windows.

I quickly changed into the uniform, looping my tie loosely around my neck just as I heard the door slide open loudly. Sirius spoke smugly behind me, "See, I told you she would be done by no-" I turned around, and his gaze immediately zeroed in on the crest on my sweater and silver and green tie. His face froze, and I could see the other boys stop in their tracks, all staring at the snake crest adorning my sweater.

I inwardly sighed, and decided to make the best of this. "Careful, stare too long and I'll mistake you for a bunch of perverts." I watched in amusement as they all became _very_ interested in various parts of the room, blushing slightly. Sirius recovered quickly, however, and scowled. He sat down, quickly beginning a conversation with James, not looking in my direction again. Remus grinned apologetically, but joined in on the conversation when James called him over. For the rest of the train ride they studiously ignored me, and I shrugged it off and continued reading from the page I'd stopped on in my book.

As the train slowed to a stop, the four boys left quickly, and I secured the lock on my trunk and followed. A prefect outside the train gestured towards a group of horseless carriages, instructing to chose any of them for the ride to Hogwarts. As I climbed in, I could hear Hagrid calling for the first years to come to him before I shut the carriage door behind me. I felt a flash of annoyance as the door opened a few minutes later, and a group of chattering girls clambered in, taking no mind of me as I was squished against the window, for once feeling thankful of my small stature as my face was crushed against the glass, scowling.

I sighed in relief as the carriage stopped, after far too long in the small space, in my opinion. After the past carriage ride I'd managed to learn every single detail of the girls' vacation. Every. Single. Detail. _ Twice._ I swear, if the carriage hadn't stopped at that exact moment, there would have been five less twittering girls going to Hogwarts this year. I climbed out of the carriage behind the girls, stretching slightly before following the crowd of students flooding through the school doors. I took a seat at the Slytherin table, closest to the doors. The Sorting went by quickly, and students chattered around me as food appeared on the tables and they dug in. As I ate, I could see Fletcher and his cronies shooting James and Sirius dark looks from across the Hall, but they didn't seem to notice or care. Everyone finished up quickly, and soon we were trekking through the dank dungeons and through the entrance to the Slytherin common room. I slipped into my room, locking the door behind me and quickly getting ready for bed.

**... ...**

I shuffled down one of the huge hallways, yawning as I munched on a piece of toast. More people had been in the Great Hall then usual despite the early hour, and I'd only bothered grabbing a little food my class schedule before escaping, not wanting to deal with so many people this early in the morning. Checking my schedule, I quickly changed direction, heading instead towards Professor McGonagall's room for Transfiguration. I arrived shortly before any one else, choosing a seat at the back of the room. As students gradually began trickling in, I read in the corner, looking up every once in a while to deter any Slytherins hoping to befriend the 'pureblood' in the back of the room. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone approaching my table and lifted my head, ready to glare at the poor fool, but smiled slightly when I saw Spring standing there, grinning broadly, while both the Slytherins and the Griffindors stared at her like she was insane. I rose to greet her, when she practically screamed, "Reed!" and threw her arms around me in a choke-hold. I stood there for a moment in shock before awkwardly patting her back, slowly losing air. I sighed in relief when she finally let go. "Hello Spring." I smiled crookedly, but that smile disappeared immediately when I realized that the other Slytherins and Griffindors were watching us with expressions ranging from surprise to horror, some even with anger, all directed at our display of friendship. My face darkened, glaring at them from behind Spring as she began unpacking her supplies, and the majority of them quickly turned back to their conversations, only glancing our way occasionally.

As the day progressed, with Spring and I talking in our classes together, I noticed people from the other houses whispering to each other, receiving glares from several Griffindors directed my way, and absolute glowers directed toward Spring, which I returned in full back at them. While many of the people in our houses had been wary of our friendship last year, they hadn't been so hostile towards us, likely because they assumed that I was just a charity case for Spring. Now, though, the Slytherins disapproved of the Griffindork that was tarnishing my... colorful reputation, and all of the other houses disapproved of the snarky Slytherin that had somehow enslaved one of the most beloved Griffindors in the school.

"So tell us,"I heard an annoying voice whisper loudly. I recognized it as James' voice almost immediately- it was hard _not _to recognize a voice like his. I made sure not to look like I was listening, staring intently at the bookshelf for the book I needed.

"What?" an aggravated female voice replied, a voice that instantly annoyed me replied, sounding distracted.

"What's it like being friends with someone as slimy as Snivellius?" This caught my attention. Out of all of the other Slytherins, Severus Snape was one of the few I could tolerate, not only because he was friends with a Muggle girl, but also because he didn't actually care about what the others thought of him, and wasn't against outright insulting people. My opinion wasn't shared by, well, any of the other members of the school.

"I don't see how that is any of your buisness, _Potter_." The girl I now reconized as Lily Evans' voice practically dripped with venom. Curiosity finally won out, and I peered around the bookshelf, seeing three of the four of the obnoxious boys from the train ride from several weeks ago- James, Sirius, and the Petigrew kid- along with a blonde with an arrogant expression I'd seen on many pureblood Slytherins, but her tie portraying her as a Griffindor. Lily and another girl, this one a Ravenclaw with black curly hair, were bent over their books, Lily looking very annoyed with the interruption to her studies, the other girl appearing not to even be paying attention, but I could see that her chair was turned slightly towards the conversation, and her eyes would glance up occasionally. Also sitting there, looking like she would rather be anywhere but there and attempting to concentrate on her work was Spring.

"Hey, I'm just saying. The Slytherin House isn't exactly known for producing fluffy bunnies and rainbows. But if you want to befriend a slimy git in need of a shower, be my guest." James grinned, looking as if he'd just won the argument. Spring sighed, looking up in exasperation.

"James, the library _is_ for doing work. If you're not here to work, please leave, you're disturbing everyone here." her tone was polite, if a little annoyed.

He raised his eyebrows, looking around the library. Aside from them, at their table over by the wall, and me, still concealed behind a book shelf, and looked back at Spring with a skeptical expression. "There's no one here- besides, Remus said he had to get something from here." At this point the blond spoke up, sounding obnoxious.

"He's right, you know. I can't name a single Slytherin that has what you would call a wonderful personality." She flipped her hair, looking around with a vain look. "Take that Sumner girl for instance, the that's been hanging around Spring all the time. You wouldn't _believe_ the things that I've heard her say to people, just because they _talked_ to her. I wouldn't be surprised if she was secretly a demon in disguise or something."

I froze, hand falling to my side as I paid even more attention to the conversation, not listening to anything else as I peered around the bookshelf to look at them. While I'd heard other students talk about my friendship with Spring, but none that actually included Spring as a participant in the conversation. Spring snorted.

"Really? As if Dumbledore would let a demon into the school. He's not about to put us in unnecesary danger just for kicks." I snickered at the irony. If only she knew.

Sirius leaned forward, hands resting on the table. "While we're on the subject, why _are_ you letting her hang around? Like Cameron said, she's not the nicest or, well, a good person overall. I've seen her make the entire classroom sink in their seat just because they _looked _at her oddly."

Spring looked exasperated, like she'd had this conversation before. "You mean when everyone talks like she doesn't have any friends? Or when people look at her oddly, or talking about her to her face? How about this: I'll antagonize _you_ constantly, point out that you don't have any friends, and act as rotten as possible and see if _you_ still act compassionate to random strangers. Did you know that her own house doesn't talk to her? She doesn't like their attitudes, so ignores them no matter what they do to try and get her to talk to them." I blinked in surprise- this was the first time I'd _ever_ heard Spring snap at someone. I don't think I'd even heard her sound angry towards someone before now.

This time it was Sirius that snorted, looking skeptical, "Are you kidding? I heard that she was a rotten pureblood, one of those mudblood haters. I've seen some of the teachers looking at her like they expect her to snap and kill everyone at any moment." I raised my eyebrows and then scowled slightly, shaking my head. I'd noticed Professor Clarke acting like that, but not the other teachers. How many of them suspected that I would attack them, just because they knew of my blood line? I sighed. Spring snapped her head up, blue eyes flashing dangerously as she glared at Sirius. At the same moment a smell wafted toward me from behind- the smell of wolf, overpowering the smell of paper and leather. I spun around, still feeling slightly angry at what I'd just heard, to see Remus Lupin standing there, holding two books in his hands and looking at me with an expression I couldn't recognize. I don't know how long he'd been there- I'd been too focused on the conversation to hear him, and there weren't any convenient breezes in the library. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but I looked away from him, figuring that this conversation should stop before they said something that I didn't want to know people thought of me. I picked up a book- the very one I'd been looking for in the first place- inwardly hoping that Madame Prince wasn't anywhere near and let a book drop to the ground, just in the line of their table's sight.

All of their heads shot around, and James called out warily, "Remus? Mate, was that you?" I wordlessly walked into their line of vision and retrieved the book, keeping silent as I retrieved the book and walked over to my table, hidden in the corner with my essay and books.

I heard a book shut quietly, and a chair slide backwards, screeching against the floor to my ears. "Reed..." Spring's voice was hesitant, but I just collected my things and smiled slightly, just enough for her to notice before I left. Like it or not, I could easily finish my essay in the Slytherin common room. There, at least, people were more likely to just outright insult me to my face rather than behind my back. Thanks to my enhanced hearing, I heard a swish, and I assumed that Cameron had flicked her hair again.

"Pft, serves her right. That's what she gets for-" There was a muffled thump, and someone said quietly. "Shut up. Did you see her face?"

Someone else, probably Sirius, snorted. "She just looked like she usually does. Bored and slightly angry."

The same person, probably the Ravenclaw, sighed, and I heard the rustle of someone standing up and slinging something over their shoulder. "You really are idiots. Figure it out yourself. If I could figure it out, I'm sure you will." At that point I quickened my step, tuning out their conversation, intent on getting to the common room as quickly as possible.

**... ...**

I sighed, rubbing my forehead and glancing over the essay before me. I closed my eyes, enjoying the cool breeze blowing from the direction of the Black Lake. It hadn't taken long for the Slytherins milling around in the commonroom to get on my nerves; a person could only take so much whispering and cynical comments before leaving or going insane. And that was how I wound up studying outside, several yards away from any of the other students. For the past few days I'd successfully managed to stay away from the other students, even more that before, only talking to the teachers and Spring, unless it was absolutely necessary for me to talk to anyone else. The other students' opinions on me hadn't changed too majorly, something I wasn't too concerned about. However, Spring _had_ been spending more time with me than before, however, and I'd looked up to see half the Griffindor house glaring at me. What was really disturbing was that I'd noticed a small group of the Slytherins, including Fletcher and several of the more outspoken purebloods, whispering and hissing amongst themselves more often than before.

I heard soft footsteps approaching, not sounding like the usual bouncy steps of Spring. My eyes flashed open, but I didn't turn. Another breeze came by, this time in the opposite direction, bringing with it the smell of wolf. He sat down next to me on the grass, but I kept my eyes focussed on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.

He sighed as he realized that I planned on ignoring him. "They aren't as bad as they seem, you know." He didn't need to say who.

I snorted, but otherwise kept silent. "They're just... not very trusting towards Slytherins. Something you seem to share with them." He once more waited for an answer, but I just turned my head to look at him incredulously. He winced, and apparently tried changing tactics. "To be completely fair, you haven't gave them anything that gives them a _reason_ to trust you." That was true, I suppose, but why did he care what I thought of his little merry group of idiots? He shook his head, as if he knew just what I was thinking. Doubtful, but still. "Just... don't blame them too badly. They're just concerned for their friend." He sighed in slight exasperation when I still didn't reply, rising to his feet and dusting off his black pants. "Well then... just... try to consider giving them a chance. I know you don't like people, but they would at least be good practice for verbal abuse." At this I finally looked up, and he grinned in triumph at getting a reaction from me. I sighed and returned to my essay, not watching as he walked away.

**... ...**

Blister in the sun by Violent Femmes

**SO. First of all- I apologize for the delay on this chapter, and I'd like to thank my first and second reviewers: Mona and naflower05. I'd also like to thank my two co-authors. The chapters should start coming more regularly soon, but please don't get impatient. As always, please review. Free imaginary cookies for those who do! *tauntingly waves plate of steaming cookies before the readers* **

_"There is a difference between a psychopath, and a sociopath - A psychopath can't help it; he doesn't know the difference between right and wrong. A sociopath ... now, a sociopath just doesn't give a damn."_ -Ryle Daup 


	4. Attacks and the Corner of Shame

**... ...**

Several weeks passed. A month. While the majority of the students still didn't approve of the friendless Slytherin and the well-liked Griffindor befriending each other, and still grumbled about it pretty frequently, but none were as outspoken as Fletcher and his little cult, closely followed by James and Sirius. James and Sirius made sure to loudly voice their thoughts, while Fletcher and his companions could be seen at different times of the day, whispering in the hallway and glaring at Spring and I. I doubted that they would do more than that, however. They were all talk and no action.

Spring and I rose to our feet, chattering as we gathered our supplies and walked down the hallway. We had no classes next, not until after lunch, and made plans to meet in the library within the next thirty minutes, while I stopped by the Common Room. The common Room was oddly empty of the people usually loitering around. I didn't think anything of it; today was one of the few sunny days we'd had recently, the clouds retreating briefly, and all of the students were taking advantage of the sun. It was one of the reasons Spring and I had decided to go to the library first, to finish our essays quickly and have more time outside later on during the weekend.

I dropped off several of my school books, grabbing extra parchment and making sure that my flute case was in my bag as I left the common room and made my way down the hallways. I was rifling through my bag, nearing the branching hallway that led to the library and the classrooms. As I walked down the hallway, I heard a sound echo back to me, from one of the abandoned hallways of the school, further down the hallway I was currently on. At first I didn't think anything of it, but as I neared the entrance to the hallway, I heard several voices speaking, sounding hostile. Remembering what happened last time I listened to another person's conversation, I almost continued walking. Curiosity won out, however, and I followed the sound of the voices, so soft that the average person wouldn't have heard them. I slowed as I approached a corner, the voices becoming clearer as I approached.

"...should we do with her?"

A cold voice laughed. "We'll show her what she deserves, trying to corrupt one of us."

There was a muffled sound, and a female gasped. I drew my wand slowly, edging around the corner. A group of Slytherins stood there, at least six, if not more, all gathered around a single figure, wands drawn. From my vantage point, I couldn't tell who the person was. As one of them shifted their weight, I saw a flash of bright red, and my blood froze. Looking around, I recognized several people, all of them grinning maliciously as they looked down on the kneeling figure of Spring. She rubbed her stomach, glowering as she rose to her feet. She was favoring her arm, and a bruise was beginning to form on her cheek. Her eyes kept on darting to the side, and I saw an abandoned wand in a corner, probably kicked there after they'd disarmed her. Quietly, I crept over and snatched up her wand, trying to figure out a plan. It was suicidal to try and take them all on, especially with the limited knowledge of offensive spells that I knew.

I struggled to remember anything that would be useful in this situation. I raised my wand, pointing at the group of assailants and whispering a spell as quietly as possible and covering my eyes with the other hand, still holding Spring's wand. A flash of light illuminated the entire corridor, blinding everyone there. I darted in the crowd, shoving Spring's wand into her hand and pushing her, running for the hallway. There were loud yells, and I heard footsteps charge after us, and beams of red light hit the wall near us. We skidded around a corner, when we ran straight into something, sending me bouncing back, right into the five Slytherins chasing us. I saw Spring duck passed the Slytherins waiting at the end of the hall, not glancing back as three of them caught me, looking surprised but keeping me from darting away. I saw Spring stop at the end of the hallway only for a brief moment, glancing back in concern before turning the corner quickly. They all scowled, but parted as Fletcher and another boy, maybe a year above us, approached.

"Why would you do something so... stupid?" Fletcher wondered, looking down at me.

The other boy sneered. "She's just as bad as the other girl, the Carvorinor girl. Muggle lovers, the lot of them. Well," He shrugged, grinning with a dark twinkle in his eyes. "If we can't punish one blood traitor, another is just as good. Especially someone that is such a disgrace to the noble house of Salthazar Slytherin." I rolled my eyes. Really? He just couldn't resist making the classic evil speech, could he? And here I'd thought that no one actually did that in real life.

They all smiled, and I stared at them as they moved closer and closer to me, one of them disarming me with a flick of their wrist.

**... ... **

Almost immediately after entering the Great Hall, I received more stares and whispers than I would have wanted to get... _ever_. Spring appeared in front of me, looking concerned as she examined my face.

"Reed! Oh Merlin, I didn't even realize you were gone until I was almost out of the hallway! I tried to get help, but no one would come with me, and when I finally found a professor, we couldn't find you! I can't believe that your own house would _do_ something like that! Who were they, I couldn't tell in that hallway, could you? And what did they do to your _hair?_" I didn't even glance at the Slytherin table, where Fletcher and his cronies were laughing and pointing in my direction. I fingered my significantly shorter hair, now choppily cut almost to my head, scowling. I looked her over. Her face looked quite a bit better than it had before, only noticeable if you were looking for evidence of a fight. She noticed my look and quickly waved her hands in front of her. "It's not that bad, I promise. Those Slytherins are a mean bunch, though, no offense." I shrugged, wincing as my shoulder twinged. I turned to my house table, noticing that all of my house mates were cycling from glaring and laughing. I sighed, saying a quick goodbye to Spring as I trudged to my little corner of the table, ignoring the mutters of the students down the emerald and silver-bannered table. I ate as quickly as possible, scarfing down food to get away from my house mates. I grimaced when I realized that I had two more classes today, all with Fletcher and his cronies, the only exception the other boy a year above us.

I got to Defense Against the Dark Arts early, as usual, and didn't look up as the other students gradually trickled into the room. Spring was at the other end of the room, talking with Lupin and Pettigrew as I sat at our spot toward the front of the room, her bag in the chair next to me as I looked over my former notes. Two figures leaned against my table, and I looked up to see Sirius and James standing there, smirking as Remus watched with an odd expression on his face over Spring's shoulder.

"So." James leaned forward, hands resting on the table. "Tell us, what _did_ happen to your face? Someone finally decide to do the world a favor and try to off you?"

"'Only to be eaten after their failed attempt?" Sirius added.

"I decided that I needed a makeover. Thought my face wasn't purple and blue enough." He blinked, looking like he actually believed me for a moment, until I snickered slightly.

Sirius scowled, leaning in until he was only a few inches away from my face. "You know, it's the oddest thing. Spring shows up at the common room, babbling about Slytherins, with a sprained arm and bruises all over her face. Then, after we've fixed up her arm, might I add, she won't say anything about what happened. Not thirty minutes later, _you_ show up, looking like you were mauled by a rabid bear. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that something happened and you had something to do with it."

I wrinkled my nose. "Nor does it take a genius to brush your teeth every morning, and yet you seem to have a problem doing even that."

His face darkened even more as James spoke. "You have two choices: Tell us who hurt Spring so we can get a little payback-"

"Or we'll have to take drastic measures until you tell us." They both smirked at me mischievously.

I just shrugged. "It was dark, and I didn't see their faces."

James tsked in disappointment. "Now Sumner, you really should have this compulsive lying problem checked on. In this case, the worse thing you possibly could have done was tell us anything but the truth."

Sirius sighed dramatically. "I suppose we'll just have to convince her to tell us, mate. Ten galleons says she won't last the week."

James snorted. "Pft. She won't last past tomorrow." They grinned at me, looking more demonic then even I could have managed. The door to the room slammed shut, and Spring slipped into her seat stealthily.

"Potter, Black. Stop sexually harassing students and get in your seats." They didn't even react as they walked to their seats, whispering to each other.

Professor Clarke scanned the room, stopping when he saw my face, an incredulous look crossing his face for a moment before quickly disappearing. He began his lecture, walking down the rows as he talked, glancing over their notes as they scribbled hurriedly. As the class slowly came to a close, he said something that made made me freeze. "Next week will be more practical. While most students would have learned this in their third or fourth year, the Headmaster has seen fit to have the next few weeks dedicated to learning about demons. Every class will be teaching _something_ related to demons, whether it be their origin, weaknesses, how to recognize one-" was it just my imagination, or did he look at me almost smugly? "- anything related to their subject. Classes will be slightly different, but the head of your House will elaborate on that. Any questions?"

Someone behind me raised their hand. "Why did the Headmaster decide to have us learn about this several years early?"

He shrugged. "Lately, there have been reports of demons gathering, although no offensive moves by them have been made as of yet. Many of the rules are being changed in case of an attack. Again, the head of your Houses would probably know more." He dismissed the class, but as I started to leave, he stopped me, asking me to stay behind. Spring looked at me quizzically before leaving. I waited for the rest of the class to leave, the door clicking shut as the last student left.

Professor Clarke leaned against his desk, arms crossed. "Those are some nasty bruises, Sumner." I twitched in surprise. I'd been expecting him to say something about the lesson next week, not the bruises I'd gotten from the purebloods. I nodded, and he frowned. "How did a bunch of kids manage to take something like you down?" I clenched my jaw, but otherwise didn't comment. "Let me guess... it was that Owen kid, right? Owen Fletcher? Along with about half the 2nd year Slytherins, including Narcissus Black, along with Belatrix Lastrage and Rand Soliel, both older than you?" At my blank look, he scoffed. "At least give me _some_ credit, Sumner. It wasn't too difficult to figure out. Why shouldn't I tell the Headmaster about you fighting in the abandoned hallways?"

I shrugged. "It's not really anyone's business. I lost, they won, no one else was part of it. It was a Slytherin thing."

He looked at me, tilting his head to the side and eyes narrowed consideringly. "Sixty points from Slytherin, Sumner. And five from Griffindor for Ms. Carvorinor's part in the fight. Next time try to hide the evidence of a fight, and try to lie better. In fact, an extra ten points for lying. Poorly." I nodded, not really caring if my house lost points. "You've got about-" he looked down at his wrist. "two minutes to get to your next class. You have Transfiguration next, right? That's on the next floor up, you better hurry, or you'll lose more points for your house. Not to mention how Professor McGonagall will react." He smirked.

My eyes widened and I took off running, the few students still in the hallway probably thought the sight of a girl speeding down the hall way odd, but none of had the time to comment as I flew up the stairs.

I burst through the door exactly three minutes later, panting. I wound up, including the seventy points from Professor Clarke, having lost about eighty House points, leaving Slytherin in last place for the House cup. By the time dinner had rolled around, many of the Slytherins were grouped around the hourglasses displaying the scores, looking horrified.

Spring looked at the crowd of Slytherins, who were hissing amongst themselves. "Merlin, what did they _do_?" I snickered, and she looked shocked for a moment before grinning slowly. "Reed, maybe I should ask what _you_ did?" I shrugged.

"Prof. Clarke deducted some points from me, that's all."

She grinned even wider. "Eighty points worth?"

"Well, some of those were from McGonagall. But neither seem to like me all that much."

We walked into the Great Hall, where the Slytherins immediately looked up to glower what looked like right at me. I turned, expecting to see someone else, and then turned to meet their glares.

"Ah." I sounded slightly scared, and Spring stood there, looking back and forth between me and my more than angry housemates, looking worried. I made my face go blank, walking over to the table and sitting down warily. Everyone made a wide berth around my seat, munching on food and glaring at me regularly. Huh. It hadn't taken long for them to find out where the point deduction had come from. I tried not to seem too concerned as I ate, keeping one hand grasping my wand underneath the table.

A group of Slytherins slipped in and began eating halfway into the dinner, looking far too smug for my liking. Nothing happened for the rest of the dinner, but I didn't relax even slightly, knowing that the members of my house could be as subtle as needed, waiting as long as necessary until they got their payback. But for the rest of the day, nothing happened. Even as I stayed up all night, ready for them to attack, nothing happened. Nothing happened for days.

**... ...**

"No."

"But-"

"No."

"Reed..." she stood there in front of me, looking stubborn.

"Spring. I refuse. I'd rather deal with the Slytherins."

"Who want to rip out your intestines and feed them to you." I raised my eyebrows, and she sighed. "Look, I promise that they won't eat you. If they don't like it, they can deal with it. Just sit at the Griffindor table, it's much less likely to kill you than sitting with the Slytherins is."

"Are students from other houses even allowed to sit at other tables?" She grinned triumphantly.

"Sure are. People do it all the time, it's just expected for students to make more friends in their own houses."

I sighed. "Fine. But don't expect me to talk to any of them."

She grinned widely, practically pushing me towards the Griffindor table. Many of the students stopped eating and turned to stare as Spring forced me to sit down at an empty spot, sitting down across from me with a smug grin, piling her plate high with food. It was still early, but more and more students were entering the Great Hall. I kept my head down, wishing that I still had my long hair to hide the green and silver tie and crest.

"Well, lost are you Sumner?" James sat to my right, with Sirius on the other side, with Peter and Remus on the other side of the table. "In case you've forgotten, your house table is over there." He gestured to the Slytherin table, and I cheerfully rose to sit back over there, when the flat of a butter knife hit me on the back of the hand.

"No." Spring said simply, finishing putting jam on her bread, while I sat back down, cradling the offended appendage to my chest indignantly. Sirius and James shared a look, grinning evilly. There was a flutter of wings as the daily mail was delivered, and one of the school owls landed in front of me. I untied the letter around its leg, handing it a piece of toast and looking at the letters. One was from my aunt, written in her familiar cursive, and the other, plastered with loads of stamps, was addressed to me in Kennan's spidery handwriting. I picked up my aunt's letter first, scanning over it.

'_Dear Reed, _

_Your mother's still being her usual self. Arrogant, obnoxious, you know how she is. I think that the house next door was finally bought yesterday, and our new neighbors are supposed to come later today. I'll let you know how that goes, hopefully they won't be like some of Eryn's friends. How's school? I know you said that you were supposed to learn about demons soon, but don't worry, I'm sure that it won't go too badly. I doubt that Professor Dumbledore or any of your other teachers would let your secret get out, and who knows- you might actually learn more about your father! Oh, and Nash and Kennan stopped by again. I sent one of their letters with this one, but Nash looked slightly embarrassed, I wonder what that was about? How are your house mates treating you now? I know that you don't want me to worry, but from what you've told me, they might still try to get back at you, right? Well, just-'_.

"Oi, what's that?" Sirius' voice asked, and I scowled, tucking the letters under my leg, trying to keep the stamps hidden.

"None of your business, Black." I picked up some of the pancakes, eating them quietly.

"You know, technically you're a guest at _our_ house table; that gives us the right to look through your mail at will." James said as Sirius tried to grab the letters.

"Well, in that case..." I tried to get up again, only to get smacked in the forehead with a spoon.

"No." Spring said firmly, like training a dog. "Sirius, James. Stop antagonizing Reed."

I rubbed my forehead as the two sank in their seats, sulking.

There was a brief silence, only to be broken by Pettigrew, who stuttered nervously. "S-so, are y-you looking forward t-to this week? I-I mean, demons, that sounds pretty interesting, right?"

There was a clatter as I accidently dropped my fork. "Sorry." I muttered, picking it back up, and they all stared at me oddly for a moment. Dang it! Demon week, I'd completely forgotten!

"I suppose, I'm kind of looking forward to it. Demons are kind of interesting to learn about, don't you think?" Lily said from the other side of Sirius.

"Interesting, sure. I can't wait until we learn how to recognize them."

Sirius snorted. "If I found one of those buggers, they wouldn't last long."

Spring shrugged, "I'll admit, some of the stories I've heard about demons have been pretty horrible. It makes me sick, thinking about some of the things they did during the Great Purge."

Sirius snorted. "Oh come _on_, Spring! They're just a bunch of monsters and you know it." I choked on my food, looking away as I coughed.

"Are you alright?" I looked up to see everyone looking at me, only Spring and Remus looking concerned, while Sirius and James looked like they were slightly hoping that I would actually choke. I waved them away, getting to my feet, eager to get out of there.

"I'll see you later Spring, everyone." I got out of there as quickly as possible, not realizing that I'd left my letters until an hour later, on my way to our first class, with Professor Clarke. Spring caught up to me outside of the Great Hall.

"So. That wasn't _too_ bad, was it?" I stared at her incredulously, and just shook my head.

"What do you have today?" Spring checked her schedule.

It looks like... Gryffindors and Slytherins have our first class with Professor Clarke."

When we entered the room, Professor Clarke was- for once- actually in the class before it started. He was holding up his hands like a Muggle director, looking at something in one of the corners in the front of the room. He then turned, grinning evilly, and stood there as he waited for the rest of the class to enter. "Sumner, Ms. Carvorinor! Glad you could make it!" He grinned, and the rest of the class trickled in, quicker than usual. As the last student sat down and the door closed, he straightened. "Okay, you lot. Today, as you probably know, we're going to learn about demons. Specifically, how you tell one apart from a crowd."

"You mean, besides the homicidal killing?" James muttered.

Professor Clarke's grin widened even further. "Potter, I'd like to show you something. Why don't you come up to the front of the room?" James rose to his feet, smiling cockily as he walked to the front of the room. Professor Clarke grabbed a stool from the back of the room and plopped it down in the corner he'd been looking at before. He pointed at the stool. "Sit there, Potter. Facing the corner." He raised his eyebrows, but obliged. Professor Clarke waved his wand and, in large letters, the words, _'CORNER OF SHAME' _were written above James. He looked shocked as the Professor turned back to us without a comment, still smiling widely.

"Er.."

"Do you have a comment, Black?"

"Just wondering... what's with the corner of shame?"

"Oh, that." He looked mildly surprised, as if he'd forgotten about it. "Well, a horrible thought occurred to me the other day: I have _six more years_ that I have to deal with you two in. So, anyone makes a stupid comment or does something I don't like- you go to the corner of shame." The rest of the class looked at each other, clearly thinking that Professor Clarke had finally cracked.

"Now." He clapped his hands, ignoring James sulking in the corner. "How many of you actually know anything about demons? I know at least most of you will know _something_ about them."

Spring raised her hand slowly, along with several of the other students. Professor Clarke looked around, nodding. "Yes, about as many as I'd thought. Might as well raise your hand, Sumner, I know that you know quite a bit about them. Now, first we might as well get some of the more basic facts down for those that don't know. More details will be given later on in the week, but we might as well get some of the Muggle borns in the know. Now, thirteen years ago there was a war. A war between, you guessed it, wizards and demons. At the time, this was pretty big- still is, in fact- because the demon population was pretty close to the wizard population. There'd been some bad blood between us to begin with, some messiness happened and bang! War. Mind you, wizards and demons weren't the only ones to take part in the war, other members of the magical community took sides as well. In the end, after several years, a stalemate occurred, and agreements were made. These days, demons aren't looked too kindly upon, and they're constantly being watched for signs of warfare. The only ones alive today are the generals and strong members of the community, and many of them don't take to kindly to us any more than we do to them. So- here we are! Teaching you lot how to recognize them and take them out if need be. You'll learn more later on, but that's basically the gist of it. Many of the wizards today still remember what happened, and likely took part in the war. Now; recognizing demons.." He flicked his wand, and words were written across the board, quills scratching across parchment as he continued talking.

"Okay, one of the main things you need to look out for is this- demons have _very_ enhanced senses. Sounds, smells, sights- things that appear completely normal to us- can and will hurt them. Loud noises, Bright lights, strong smells, all can be devastating to them. In fact, during the Great Purge, that weakness was used to its full extent. If you run into a powerful demon today, it might not affect them for too long, but should give you enough time to get away if need be.

"Now, today most demons look very similar to humans. Not all of them, but most. The majority of the time, they'll have just a few things that just don't look right. Like odd hair colors, eyecolors, height, clothing, skin colors, even odd qualities. Most of them can conceal those, and look like any one of us, but even then quite a few are noticeable if you know what to look for. Potter- put this on." He pulled a sequined pink hat with the word '_HAT OF SHAME'_ written on it out of his desk and handed it to James, who looked horrified. "I never said that you could turn around, so you wear the hat. Actually, now that I think about it..." He flicked his wand, and all of the Slytherins snickered as the sequins on the hat changed to silver and green, causing James to look even more horrified. "Now- more of the different qualities demons will have is-"

The rest of the class proceeded quickly, everyone scribbling hurriedly so that they didn't miss anything. Professor Clarke pulled out several pictures of former generals and fighters from the Great Purge, pointing out their inhuman qualities and describing how personalities can and actions can also be very exaggerated, and slightly extreme. He ended the class with an essay on the ways to recognize demons based on their actions, and let us leave.

**... ...**

**Okay, once again I'd like to thank naflower05, for being practically my only reviewer. THANK YOU! And you'll just have to see who figures it out first. xD Also, thank you my two co-authors, and to the rest of you: Please review! It postpones writers block and compulsive stupidity on the Marauder's part. I don't even care if you remain anonymous or completely troll the story. Mind you, I'll mock you if you try to troll me, but you'll still be reviewing. **


	5. Urgent Letters and Plotting Marauders

The next day went by in a similar way, with the main topic being the history of the Great Purge. I walked into the History of Magic class, expecting to see the elderly ghost taught usually taught our class. Rather than seeing Professor Binns, however, I was greeted by Professor Dumbledore, who was sitting at the desk with his fingers linked, wearing deep blue robes. I was one of the first people there, with a couple of the Ravenclaws already in their seats. I hesitated, but took my usual seat at the front. Dumbledore looked at me over his half-moon glasses, likely taking in the still-visible bruises and chopped hair. but didn't make a comment, merely smiling as he greeted me. "Ms. Sumner. I hope you've had a good school year so far?"

I nodded. "Of course, sir. Thank you again for allowing me to go here." I knew that he could be fired for allowing someone with my lineage into his school.

He waved his hand dismissively. "No need to thank me. I trust that you haven't run into any trouble amongst the members of your house?"

"Of course not."

He looked skeptical, but didn't say anything more as the rest of the students arrived.

"Excuse me.." a quiet voice said, and I turned to see a Ravenclaw girl standing there, and I recognized her after a moment. She was the girl that had been in the library with Spring the other day. Light brown eyes looked out from black curly hair, which fell in front of her face. "I'm sorry, but could I sit here?" she gestured to the seat next to me. "I would sit somewhere else, but..." I looked around, seeing every chair taken _except_ for the one sharing my table.

I nodded, "Go ahead."

She sat down, getting out her supplies as Dumbledore rose to his feet. "Good morning, students." He said, smiling kindly. "I felt that it would likely be more productive for me to teach this class myself rather than have Professor Binns teach." There were grumbled sounds of approval from the other students.

"Now, as most of you have likely heard, the Great Purge was a war, between the wizarding world and its allies and the world of demons and their allies. It began approximately thirteen years ago, when a small group of demons were slaughtered by a group of angry wizards and witches, after a young wizard disappeared out of his home, only to be found several days later, with signs of a demon attack. Afterwards, the demon world became furious that their own had been killed, and attacked several wizarding houses in retribution. Afterward, a long three year war erupted, with members of the magical community choosing sides in a war with both sides too stubborn to give in until their wrongs were rectified. Now, while both sides of the war had many generals, lieutenants, and leaders, the most famous members of the war were the two divisions tasked with knowing their enemy's weaknesses, and taking down military leaders, basically Aurors. They were skilled tacticians, and called many names, but the name they will be called by in this class is the Loriqs- in the wizarding world- and the Torres- in the demon world. They were named after the two of the most influential generals in the war, on both sides. Those two groups were the main contributors to the war effort when it comes to combat. They-"

For once, everyone was paying attention to our History of Magic lesson, taking notes and not daydreaming or doodling. He only gave a minor essay, one that wouldn't even take an hour to do. The Ravenclaw next to me practically sprinted out of the room once the class ended, followed by the rest of the students. As I tossed my bag over my shoulder, Professor Dumbledore stopped me.

"Ms. Sumner... I hope that you realize that isolation, while leaving little room for anyone to harm you, also leaves you with few actual people that you can rely on." I nodded hesitantly. "Also... very few friendships have been known to continue with secrets in the way."

"Thank you, Professor." he nodded, and I walked out of the classroom.

I stopped by the Slytherin Common Room briefly, and then headed to the library. Spring was already there, along with the Ravenclaw that had sat next to me before, and a girl with light brown hair smacking on gum with a bored expression. I sat down, looking around warily. Spring looked up, grinning widely.

"Reed! I'd like to introduce you to Robyn Bishop. She's brilliant!" Spring clapped the girl on the shoulder, who was shaking her head in exasperation. "So, how was our History of Magic class? Robyn said that it was interesting, but then, she could find learning about how paint dries interesting, no offense, Robyn. Is Professor Dumbledore a good teacher? I be he is, he seems like he would be. Oh, and have you finished Professor Clarke's essay yet? I haven't even started, none of us have. Oh, and-" She was cut of by the other brown haired girl, who coughed pointedly. Spring's expression instantly cooled. "That's a nasty cough there, Effie. Do you need to go to Madame Pomfrey's?" The girl's face turned red, angry with being brushed off so easily.

She held out a hand, flicking her hair over her shoulder, and I nearly gagged at the strong smell of perfume and hair products. "I'm Cameron Effie, and you are..."

I smiled thinly, ignoring her hand. "I believe you already know that. Hello, I'm Reed 'Muggle-hating-rotten-pureblood' Sumner. Also known as 'That Sumner girl', in case you still didn't remember." Remus had never said that I couldn't hold a grudge against this girl, and I watched smugly as she retracted her hand, looking shocked and angry. Robyn snickered, leaning over her parchment as she tried to hide her giggles, while Spring outright laughed. I turned to working on my essay, trying not to smirk as she sputtered, trying to give excuses for what I'd heard, finally storming away when she realized that I wasn't even paying any attention to her.

It didn't take long to finish my essay for Professor Dumbledore, and, having already finished Clarke's assignment, I looked through my bag, only just now remembering the letters from yesterday and looking for the letter from my aunt and the the one from Nash and Kennan. I rifled through all of my papers, frowning when I didn't find them immediately. I froze, trying to remember when I'd last seen it. I remembered getting it during breakfast, and hiding it from Black and Potter and then- I felt the blood drain from my face.

"Reed? Are you alright?" Robyn's voice asked in concern.

"I, ah. Spring, do you remember what I did with my letters yesterday?" I asked, inwardly hitting myself for forgetting until now.

"You mean the ones Sirius and James wanted? No, actually, I don't think that I remember you even having them after breakfast. Why?" I closed my eyes, trying to remember if my aunt's letter said anything important. Besides hinting that I wasn't a pureblood, I couldn't remember anything- '_I know you said that you were supposed to learn about demons soon, but don't worry, I'm sure that it won't go too badly. I doubt that Professor Dumbledore or any of your other teachers would let your secret get out, and who knows- you might actually learn more about your father!' _

"Crap." I said, eyes widening. "Listen, can you, er, actually, can you just watch my flute case? It's the black case, and it's kind of important to me. I have to go find.. have any of you seen James or Sirius?" They looked shocked to see me so frantic, but shook their heads. I took off running, feeling a sense of deja vu as I bolted down the hall. I skidded to a stop when I saw Evans storming down the hall, looking furious. Her angry look changed to shocked as I ran up to her.

"Reed-" I interrupted her hurriedly.

"Listen Evans, have you seen James or Sirius? It's kind of important." She immediately looked angry.

"_Potter._" she spat. "decided that it would be _fun_ to enchant the Hufflepuff hallway to-"

"Yes, yes, have all of their hair grow so long that they trip over it or something equally devious. But where are they _now_?"

She looked surprised. "Last time I saw them they were heading to the Black Lake."

"Great." I muttered as I took off running, yelling "Thanks, Evans!" over my shoulder. Students looked at me like I was insane as I flew by, running as quickly as possible. When the Forbidden Forest came into view, I had to stop, wheezing and leaning against a wall as I tried to catch my breath. Looking around, I heard the unmistakable sound of James' voice and ran- albeit much slower than before- in their direction. Remus was sitting underneith the shade of a tree, reading a book while James and Sirius messed around nearby. Sirius noticed me first, but rather than scowling like usual, he grinned deviously, gesturing towards me to James. They both stood there, smirking, as I approached, James holding something in his hands. I immediatly sped up, panting slightly when I finally made it to them, lungs protesting from running around the entire school.

"Well, Sumner, is there something we can do for you?" James asked as I kept my eyes glued on the letters in his hand. Unthinkingly, I darted for the letters, but he tossed them to Sirius, who held them over my head tauntingly.

"You know," Sirius said casually. "We learned the most interesting thing from these letters of yours." I backed away slightly, feeling horrified. Oddly, with all of their talk of how evil demons are, neither of them looked disgusted or angry, more smug than anything. "It turns out that little-miss-pureblood is _actually_ a Muggle born! Imagine your friends' reaction if they knew." He brandished the letter from Nash and Kennan.

I rocked back on my heels, feeling dumbfounded. "Black... which letter did you read?"

His grin faded slightly. "Just the one so far... Why, does the other one have something even _worse_?" He grinned widely, looking like his face would split as he tossed the other letter to James. My eyes widened, and I pulled out my wand- as I should have done from the beginning- to get the letter from them. "Oh, no," Sirius said, snatching my wand from my hand. "Read it, mate!"

As James opened the letter, it flew out of his hand, and into Remus'. With another muttered spell, my wand also flew to him. He smiled apologetically, handing be both.

"I'm sorry about them. They're just... idiots." he shrugged. I grabbed my letters and wand, so relieved that I grinned widely at him. He smiled back, looking slightly surprised. The moment was ruined, however, when Sirius whistled.

"You know, Sumner, you wouldn't be so bad if you smiled more." This, of course, made me scowl at him.

"Black, Potter, you're idiots. Goodbye, Pettigrew and Lupin." I sent one more glare towards James and Sirius and turned to leave. At that moment Spring, Robyn, Evans, and Professor Clarke showed up, all but the final looking worried. I raised my eyebrows as the first three doubled over, panting, while Clarke just looked at us and raised his eyebrows at me in a silent question. I shrugged. "They had an incriminating letter that said a not-well-known secret in it." He nodded, understanding and glancing at the four boys.

"Yes, it's true!" Sirius and James posed dramatically. "We discovered her deep, dark secret!"

"Reed Sumner is not, as we'd thought, the perfect pureblood, she's.." He paused, for affect. Professor Clarke raised his eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes at them. "No, she is actually a Muggle born!"

A couple of passing students stopped, looking shocked, and I yawned pointedly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Evans' face go blank.

"... is that all?" Spring asked, looking bored.

"Well, we _would_ have more, but Remus took away the letters before we could read the rest." Sirius pouted, while James eyed the letters in my hand consideringly.

"Besides, just think of the impact this will have! Imagine, the perfect little pureblood Slytherin is actually nothing more than a little Muggle born!" He and Sirius high-fived, looking proud, and Evans' hand was clenched tightly at her side.

"Potter..." Lily began, looking furious. She walked up and slapped James harshly across the face, and I winced at the harsh sound as she stormed away.

Professor Clarke shook his head, walking back to the school. James looked shocked as he put a hand to his face, where a red mark in the shape of a hand was forming.

"What did I do?" he asked, looking confused. I facepalmed, and Spring, Robyn, and I left, leaving James and Sirius standing there, looking like idiots.

**... Outside Point of View ...**

James' shoulders slumped, still cradling his face as he watched Lily storm away, his eyes unfocussed. Behind him, Sirius and Remus shared a worried look.

"Huh." Sirius began, grinning evilly. "What do you think was in that letter that was so important? If she didn't care one lick about being Muggle born, what could she have been trying to hide?" James turned around, the handprint on his face the only sign of what had happened as he smirked.

"Well, we'll just have to find out, won't we mate?" They grinned, and then turned to look expectantly at Remus.

He shook his head slowly. "No. Why can't you just leave her alone?" They shook their heads, grins widening as they threw their arms across his shoulder.

"Mate, you know that would never happen. And as of right now-" James picked up where Sirius left off.

"You're our accomplice. So, here's what we're going to do..." They began plotting, Remus relunctantly listening as they spelled out their plan.

**... Reed's POV ...**

I shivered, looking around as I felt a chill.

"So." Spring began casually. "What was so important about those letters, for you to be so worried about getting them from Sirius and James?"

I shrugged. "They said that I was a Muggle born." Spring stopped, turning to face me with her hands on her hips, looking angry.

"Don't you lie to me Reed Sumner!" She poked me in the shoulder. "If you don't want to say, then say so, but don't lie. I saw your face, you looked like you were watching your own funeral." I laughed nervously, tightening my hand around the letters. "Now, here's your flute case. Which is pretty awesome looking, by the way. I couldn't resist looking in it." I tried to be subtle about looking in it to make sure my flute was still intact before smiling slightly.

"Thanks Spring." She nodded.

"So," I began, "did you finish your essays?"

Spring just stared at me for a moment, looking like she wanted to hit me before shaking her head and staring forward.

Robyn tried to keep the conversation going. "I almost finished. I'm done with Dumbledore's essay and was just beginning on Professor Clarke's essay. Wasn't it the same with you Spring?"

She smiled half-heatedly. "Yeah, and his is kind of interesting. Did you know that both demons _and _half demons can be told apart by several different factors? Like hair color and length, eye color and shape, major emotion changes..." she continued on, returning to her usual self.

We returned to the library, our chattering changing to a whisper as we kept an eye out for Madame Prince. Spring and Robyn finished their essays while I read my notes, talking occasionally. Soon we were all on our way to the Great Hall for lunch, when Robyn frowned just inside the doorway of the Great Hall.

"Er, Reed... did you happen to do anything to make the Slytherins angry?" I followed her gaze, to where nearly all of the Slytherins were glaring right at me, looking murderous.

"Um, Spring? I think that I'm going to sit at your house table today, if that's okay with you." I said, not looking away from the table, and she nodded.

"Maybe.. sitting facing the Slytherin table?" she said hesitantly.

"Sounds good with me, are you coming, Robyn?" she nodded, following us to the Gryffindor table. This time I sat with Robyn to my left, Remus and Pettigrew to my right, facing the Slytherin table, with Spring, Sirius, James, and Cameron Effie facing me.

Cameron sneered at me. "What, now we're not even safe at our own table? You can't hang out with your own house members?" I worldlessly pointed to the Slytherin table, and they all turned around, looking at the homicidally glaring table occupied by the silver and green clad students.

James frowned. "Huh, I don't think that it's Quidditch week. What's with them?"

I shrugged, helping myself to the food on the glittering serving plates. "They're very moody. I have no idea what's going on in their minds half the time." Of course I knew what was wrong with them.

**... ...**

**Sorry for the delay. The next chapter should be up soon! :D**


	6. Brandings and Discoveries Are Made

**... ...**

"Why is he having us meet here?" Spring wondered as we followed what looked like the entire second year into one of the unused hallways. Professor Clarke was standing in front of one of the classes, arms crossed as he waited for all of the students to arrive. We waited, and he didn't say a word until the last student, a measly little Hufflepuff, arrived, turning red as everyone turned to look at him in annoyance.

Clarke cleared his throat, grabbing everyone's attention. "Right, listen here. I managed to arrange a guest speaker to take over for today. His name is Afton Keller, he's a current member of the Loriqs. He will be giving your practical portion of the lectures for the next few days. Be polite, don't try anything, and watch yourselves." He scanned over the entire group, something flashing across his face quickly before he turned to open the door. Students began whispering excitedly as they followed him through the door, and I hesitated slightly before the crowd pushed me forward. As I walked through the doorway, a rotten smell hit my nose, and I coughed slightly. Spring and Robyn looked over in concern, but their attention was quickly grabbed by the man standing in the front of the room, looking patient as he waited for the class to settle down.

He had average brown hair, cut short with a little bit of stubble, and streaks of grey in his hair despite him looking like he couldn't be past thirty, if that. Even with my eyesight, I couldn't tell what color eyes he had, but could easily make out the scar on his cheek, what looked like a claw mark, among the other occasional scars dotting his face, neck, and arms. While the rest of the class slowly quieted, I looked around the room quickly, the only thing that caught my eye being the table in the front of the room, behind Keller, and that smell still lingering around the entire room. The class quieted fairly quickly, and he straightened, smiling slightly.

"Well, as you're likely aware, I'm Afton Keller, 2nd division of the group officially known as the Loriqs, a group tasked with hunting demons during the Great Purge. Now, you've all learned of the ways to recognize demons, correct?" Many people nodded. "Does anyone care to list those qualities? You there." He pointed at Robyn.

She looked panicked for a moment before responding hesitantly. "E-er, there are several ways. Most demons have unique physical signs, like unique hair and eye colors, along with abnormal rates of growth. In some cases, with weaker demons, they have other traits, but nearly all have enhanced stamina, eyesight, hearing, sense of smell, and speed, amongst others." He clapped, nodding.

"Very good, what was your name?"

"R-Robyn Bishop, sir."

"Right then, Ms. Bishop, excellent job. Now, everything she just said applies to demons, but many of their enhanced senses can be manipulated to work against them, rather then for. Shrill or loud noises, obnoxious smells, bright light, all of these can be used to disorient them. This doesn't just apply to full demons, but they will affect part demons significantly less. I have with me several weapons that were used during the Great Purge. Ms. Bishop, would you help me with this?" She hid behind her hair, rising to her feet and quickly moving to the front of the room. He handed her a basket, whispering something before he, Robyn, and Clarke began passing something out to the students.

"This," Afton began, raising his voice as the other students began talking amongst themselves. "Is a plant, which excludes a foul odor, and, at the least, will make a demon collapse into a coughing fit, buying you time if you ever encountered one. It may only smell slightly bad to you, but it sure packs a punch for them, and I would recommend keeping it with you, but what you do with it is your business, I guess. If you can get them to eat it, that's even better. They'll get pretty sick, no matter how much demon blood is in them" Robyn sat back down, passing everyone what looked like a woven bracelet, and what I'd smelled earlier became even stronger as I accepted one of them reluctantly, sticking it into a library book and cramming it into my bag once no one was looking, coughing a little at the smell. Robyn looked at me oddly before turning her attention to Keller.

"Now, that isn't the only thing you can do if attacked. First of all, absolutely _never_ take off running. That's the _worst_ possible thing you can do if you encounter a demon. They enjoy the chase, and will kill you before you even have the time to blink." As he talked, he walked amongst the students, watching as everyone scribbled down the occasional note, most paying more attention to his advice then on note-taking. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see the occasional student, including Robyn and Evans, scribbling hurriedly in an attempt to get down every word. "All of you should know how to produce light by now. If you don't, you should learn. If you wind up running away from a demon, try ditching things that will have your scent on them, to confuse it. If you can, apparate or find a highly populated spot, and contact the Ministry, or cause a loud sound to distract it. I once say a demon kneel over clutching their ears because someone apparated, and one loud noise could mean life for you if you're being chased." He paused, glancing over a student nearby's notes and nodding to himself.

"It's not wise to pick a fight if you recognize a demon. Most are easily angered, and you won't have to blame anyone but yourself if we have to scrape you off of the walls because you chose the wrong fight and all that's left is a smear. Most of the demons alive today are still around because they're more powerful than the others, and-" He stopped in front of our table, his face frozen as he looked at me. I looked back at him, watching pure shock cross his face followed by several other quick expressions before his face completely smoothed over.

"Well well." he said, his voice cool, completely different from the slightly amused tone he'd been using earlier. "You neglected to tell me some things, Kyler." Professor Clarke shifted slightly, but didn't say anything, and the other students looked back and forth from the three of us in confusion.

"You didn't tell me how exemplary some of your students are!" Keller yelled happily, gesturing to Evans and Robyn, nearly hitting me in the face. "I mean, it looks like they've written every word I've said upon their entering the room! You two are, what, Griffindor and Ravenclaw, right? Twenty points to both of you!" Robyn blushed, shrinking in her seat slightly while Evans smiled proudly.

"Now- where was I? Oh, right!" He continued the rest of the class cheerfully, acting like the entire thing hadn't happened, but I noticed several 'accidents' that happened after that moment, all occurring near me and caused by or near Keller.

"How on earth did that even _happen_?" Spring asked as she muttered a quick spell and the ink covering my face disappeared.

I scowled. "It seems that the elite Loriq member is extremely clumsy."

She laughed slightly as we sat down by the Black Lake, joined almost immediately by Robyn. Within moments of sitting down, she had a piece of parchment out, starting on the essay Keller had assigned. When she caught Spring's look she shrugged.

"I might as well start while the lesson's still fresh in my mind." I nodded, rifling through my bag for a piece of parchment. Spring watched in dismay as the both of us began working on our essay.

"You know, most people come outside to a beautiful day like this, and the absolute _last_ thing they want to do is schoolwork." When all I did was look at her, she sighed in defeat. "Fine.. Reed, can I borrow your notes?"

I nodded. "They should be in my book, I'll get them." I reached into my bag, pulling out the book and flipping through it for the notes I'd put in it. I coughed as the herb that Keller had given to us fell out of the book I'd picked up, an inconvenient wind blowing the smell right at me. I wrinkled my nose, stuffing the plant back into my book and retrieving my notes, handing them to a puzzled Spring. Robyn was laying on the grass, her essay in front of her as she looked at me with a slightly curious expression. I frowned to myself, but turned to my essay and pretended not to notice. She quickly did the same.

After only a few minutes we all looked up, hearing someone calling Spring's name. She sat up, whistling shrilly and waving her arms at whoever was calling her, and I winced slightly as Evans stormed over, closely followed by Potter and his lackeys.

"Come now, my Lily Flower, why not?" James complained, and the red-head huffed.

"Go _away_ Potter! Leave me alone!"

He looked bewildered. "But Lily, all you have to do is say yes, we'd be perfect together!" They argued, standing a few feet away as James pleaded and Evans looked like she was going to murder him. Sirius, Remus, and Pettigrew flopped down on the grass, looking as if they were used to the two's antics.

"So," Sirius began, talking slightly louder then usual to be heard over the arguing pair. "I see you lot are up to your usual thrilling adventures."

"We're trying to act casual so that they don't suspect us when the dead body is found." I said, returning my attention to the last part of my essay.

"Charming as ever, Sumner. So what was up with you and the Speaker today?"

"I don't know what you mean Black." I blew on the ink, making sure it was dry.

He snorted. "You know exactly what-"

"SHUT UP!" Lily yelled, and everyone turned around as a splash was heard. Evans stood there, looking furious as James crawled back onto the shore, dripping wet. There was a moment of silence as everyone was still, before the fuming girl stormed away as quickly as she came, leaving James standing there, covered in mud and looking like a drowned rat. I slipped my essay into my bag, rising to my feet.

"And on that happy note, goodbye." I turned, heading for the school.

I dropped my bag off in my room, reading over my essay until lunch rolled around. Just before I sat down, a faint voice addressed me.

"U-um, excuse me, are y-you Reed Sumner?" I looked up to see a first year standing there, looking awkward. I nodded, and she looked relieved. "Here, I was asked to give this to you!" she practically threw a rolled up piece of parchment at me and skittering away. I frowned, cracking open the seal and scanning the short letter.

_Ms. Sumner, _

_It appears that a complaint has been made about you. It would be in your best interests if you came to my office immediately after recieving this letter to help sort this out. _

_-Headmaster Dumbledore_

_PS: I enjoy lemon drops. _

My frown deepened, and I automatically turned to exit the Great Hall, crumpling the paper in my hand. I remembered stumbling on Dumbledore's office before, and found it again after only a few wrong turns, stopping in front of the stone gargoyles.

"Lemon drops?" I hesitantly asked, and the gargoyles leapt aside, revealing a stone stair case. Halfway up the stairs I could hear yelling, making out what they were talking about the closer I got.

"..._could_ you let something like that in this school? You've done insane things in the past, but this is one of the first times I've truly doubted you Dumbledore! What are you going to do if that _thing_ starts killing students, huh?"

I paused outside the door, but heard the headmaster's voice calmly say, "I believe we have a visitor."

I pushed the door open, and took in the sight before me. Dumbledore sat calmly at his desk, fingers linked together in front of his face. Afton had his hands on the desk, his expression chilly as he looked at me.

"Ah, Ms. Sumner." Keller's expression cooled even further at the name. "It appears that we have a problem. Mr. Keller believes that you should be expelled from this school. I believe that he already contacted the school board regarding this matter. They should- ah."

The fireplace in the corner erupted with green flames, and three people stepped out. Two of them were armed with several weapons, and I wrinkled my nose as the same smell from before wafted from them, but stronger. The third man, wearing black robes and a grave expression, zeroed in on me and stepped forward.

"I take it that this is what you spoke of?" He asked Afton, gesturing towards me. The other two people stepped toward me menacingly, and they tensed, as if to attack me.

Dumbledore's eyes flashed, and he rose to his feet. "I'm sorry, but I have no intention of allowing one of my students to be persecuted without a trial."

The robed man looked incredulous. "_Trial_? She could have killed every student here, and yet you felt no need to even mention this to us Albus. She _will_ be captured and imprisoned, you have no say in the matter!" A weight seemed to land on my shoulders. _Imprisonment?_

The air in the room suddenly seemed to drop several degrees, although the elderly man didn't move at all.

The doors behind me slammed open, and another figure entered the room. He was a tall man, wearing similar robes to the other man and with blond hair. "Actually, Terry, there _is_ a different way, which you know very well."

The man, Terry, looked shocked. "C-Cade! I thought that-"

"Well, for some reason I wasn't told about this emergency meeting. We'll exchange words on that later. But in your case," He looked at me. "There's a second option.

"After the Great Purge, demons were allowed the option to apply for a mark, which was a sign that they were accepted as a member of the magical community, and agreed to abide by our laws. Very few demons accepted this option, but this same courtesy can be extended to half demons as well. You would be allowed to live in our world, with no prosecutions done by our government."

I narrowed my eyes. "And what, sir, is the catch? No doubt more demons would have agreed if there wasn't one."

He didn't reply, and, surprisingly, another voice spoke up. Professor Clarke stepped out of the shadow of the doorway, likely having been there from the moment that Cade arrived. "Agreeing to this means that the Ministry is allowed to give you their 'mark' to show your loyalty. They give you a brand." He mimed branding his arm. "One that allows them to find you if they wish, and monitor you. The Ministry would be able to use the brand to incapacitate you, with just a word. You might even be more susceptible to most demons' weaknesses. You'd be permanently marked as a demon. Every year, you'd have to get the brand renewed, and everyone that sees that mark will know you for what you are."

I thought for a moment and sighed. There was no other option. It was imprisonment, or branding. "I'll get the brand." I said, and Dumbledore nodded sadly, while I saw anger flash across Terry's face.

Cade nodded. "You'll have to come with me, young lady. I'm afraid that you'll have to receive your brand immediately." I nodded, and he grasped my arm tightly. There was a lurch, and everything went dark. For several long seconds, I couldn't breath, couldn't hear or smell anything. There was nothing but darkness. Then, just as suddenly as it happened it was over. I stumbled as my feet hit the ground, the only thing keeping me upright being the tight hold Cade still had on my arm. I hissed slightly as a ear shattering 'crack' was heard, and Terry and his two companions appeared, taking their places. Shaking my head, I looked around at our surroundings.

We were in a plain stone room, with a table in the middle and a seat being the only furniture, a brazier in the corner of the room. An unseen light source illuminated every corner, making the entire room painfully bright. Several wizards and witches were already there, milling about. Once they saw Cade, however, they all moved as one to their places, talking quietly amongst themselves. Many of them stood with their backs to the wall, two of them guarding the only door, while one stood near the braizer, tapping it with his wand and muttering. The two people that had accompanied Terry took their places next to the chair, while Terry himself stood with two other people in front of the table. Cade pulled me lightly to the middle of the room, gesturing for me to sit down.

"Now, just try to keep calm. This shouldn't take long." He nodded, and the guards next to me tensed as the man pulled an object out of the brazier and approached with a blank expression.

**... ...**

I gritted my teeth as I woke up, my arm throbbing harshly. Looking to the side, I saw Madame Kingsley, the nurse, bustling about the room. When she noticed me move, she hurried over to my bed. "Finally awake are you?"

"Unfortunately." she nodded, offering no assistance as I sat up. Looking down, I saw that the sleeve of my uniform was rolled up, a black mark standing out on my right forearm. It was fairly simple, considering what it meant- just a barbed circle, about the size of a galleon. The area around the brand was red, and I winced as I tried to move it.

The nurse tutted as she handed me a cup filled with some sort of liquid. "Go on, drink up. Honestly, making such a young child go through something that traumatic, _what_ were those fools thinking?" she fussed, disappearing for a moment and returning with a roll of bandaging, while I choked down whatever she'd given me. The taste was revolting, but I immediately felt better, and Madame Kingsley began talking as she wrapped a bandage around my arm. "Right, that should do it. Be sure to come back if it feels worse, Merlin knows what that thing could do to someone of your bloodline." I nodded, to show that I was listening. "Your classmates should be in the Great Hall for breakfast, fix your sleeves and go join them, you need to eat something." With that, she walked away, muttering to herself. I blinked, and slid off the bed, rolling down my sleeves and heading for the Great Hall.

Sure enough, it was later then I usually got there, Spring, Effie, Evans, and Robyn already sitting at the table. Spring waved as I walked over to them.

"Reed! What happened, I didn't see you at dinner yesterday. And you're really late, did something happen?"

I shrugged. "Wasn't all that hungry, and I overslept." I sat down on the other side of the table, loading my plate.

"Whatever, as I was _saying_." Cameron said, flicking her hair in annoyance. "Apparently the Ministry found two demons yesterday. One of them was imprisoned, and the other one was given the brand. My dad said that the one that was imprisoned is going to be shown to us today, can you believe that? Apparently he used to be one of the generals in the war. My dad helped imprison both of them." She smiled proudly, flicking her hair again.

"What do you mean, 'the other one was given a brand'?" Robyn asked curiously. The bench I was sitting on was suddenly taken up by Sirius and James, who grinned as they purposefully slid as close as humanly possible. Remus, on the other side of James, grinned apologetically, while Pettigrew sat on the other side of the table.

"Didn't you know Bishop? It's some precaution the Ministry takes to control the demons living amongst us civilized people. I don't know what it looks like, but they usually put it on their arm. It's like the leash of the demon world." Sirius said, trying to swipe some of my food. I glared, starting to stop him but winced when I tried to move the wrong arm. He raised his eyebrows. "Hey, what was with you yesterday, Sumner? I saw you going to the Headmaster's office, aren't you supposed to be one of those goody two-shoes?" I shrugged, gritting my teeth and beginning to eat, ignoring the look Spring gave me.

"I don't see how that's any of your business, Black."

James swiped a piece of bread off of my plate, and I glowered at him. "My, _someone's _not very sociable today. It's funny, we also saw you leaving the Hospital Wing this morning. Care to comment?"

"Yes: While stalking me is rather flattering, I'd appreciate it if you stopped. And I doubt that you'd want to know what I was doing in the Hospital Wing." He narrowed his eyes, while I just went back to munching on some toast. "So, where are we supposed to meet for our class?"

Evans spoke, not looking up from her plate. "Outside, near Hagrid's hut. We're supposed to get there as soon as possible, and he said to bring those bracelets he gave us yesterday." She said this all in a monotone voice, rising to her feet and leaving.

I nodded, and didn't say anything more as I finished eating and left to stop by the common room. Nothing in my room seemed touched, and I changed quickly and grabbed my bag, locking the door behind me and heading for the Forbidden Forest. Many of the students were already there, and Keller was standing in front of something, blocking it from view. I recognized some of the guards from yesterday standing nearby, leaning against a tree, Professor Clarke standing nearby with a bored expression. I was surprised to see Keller wearing a sword around his waist, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and as he turned around he immediately looked at me, looking surprised for a moment before grinning and looking away, moving away to reveal a cage covered with a tarp.

As the other students arrived, he didn't move from where he was standing, still grinning.

When it looked like the rest of the class arrived, Spring and Robyn joining me where I was standing toward the front, Keller clapped his hands. "Right, today you lot'll be seeing an actual demon. This bloke here," he patted the cage behind him. "was one of the elite members of the Torres, considered one of the top generals. He refused to cooperate, and thus we've detained him. How about- ah, you!" He pointed right at me. "Could you please help me with this tarp?" I nodded, going in front of the class to help him lift the tarp and drag it off of the cage. The moment the cloth was gone, the entire class jumped as the person inside the cage leapt at the bars, growling angrily. I backed away warily, while Afton just sat there, smiling cheerily.

The demon in the cage just looked like a person, albeit an odd one. Black cherry colored hair fell down past his shoulders, falling out of a tie that had once kept his hair into an elegant ponytail, now covered in leaves and twigs. His eyes were a bright silver, rimmed with red from his anger. Fangs were barred at all of us, his nails too long too be called anything but claws, and were dyed with dried blood. Exotic-looking markings covered his face and arms, the colors standing out against his medium-toned skin, his clothes were ripped and his torso sloppily tended to.

He growled, legs tensing as he scanned the crowd of students. Keller tapped the cage tauntingly. "Well, that's not very nice." He turned to the students. "According to our records, he goes by the name of Soliel Saunder. Of course, that could just be an alias. Now, how many of you have your bracelets?" One by one, students drew the plant out of their bags, pockets, everywhere. I nodded, patting my bag. "Excellent!" He clapped his hands. "Don't forget what I told you." His hand flashed out, wand pointed at the cage, and the door zoomed open. Soliel lunged out of the cage, crouching down on the ground and snarling. Several students screamed, some of them stepping back as if to run for it, but a sharp hiss stopped them in their tracks.

"Very good, rule number one: Never run." The wind shifted, and the demon sniffed the air slightly. His head shot around, looking directly at me. He sat there, kneeling on the ground, glaring as I inched my wand out of my pocket. For a minute, he just sat there, sniffing, before recognition flashed across his face. He rose to his full height, walking closer with an incredulous expression. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but someone yelled, and a bright flash of light blinded both of us. Another yell, and I was on the ground as a shrill screech echoed through the clearing. Several other people joined in, and when I opened my eyes it took a moment for my eyes to adjust, a dull ringing echoing in my ears. Keller was standing over Soliel, looking bored as the other two Loriq members held their wands pointed at the demon.

Spring ran over, looking panicked. "Reed! Are you alright? We thought he was going to attack you, but Robyn remembered what Keller told us and started shooting spells at it. Did he hurt you?" I shook my head, not even dazed any more as I rose to my feet and brushed the grass off, my ears still ringing slightly.

Keller clapped his hands. "Very good, I'm glad _some_ of you kept your heads. This situation could easily occur in actuality, and you'll have to know _exactly_ what to do if it does." He looked down as the demon groaned, beginning to rise to his feet. Afton nodded, and the two Loriq members flicked their wands. An invisible force flattened him to the ground, limbs held tightly to the dirt as a red mark appeared above Soliel, a barbed circle that hovered over him as he was held in place. The Loriq members grabbed both of his arms, tossing him back into the cage roughly and locking it with stony expressions. The force holding the demon relaxed its hold when the cage locked, and he sat in the middle of the cage, scanning the crowd with a civilized expression, not saying anything.

I stared, something bothering me about him. It almost felt like... I'd seen him before? I struggled to remember, but came up with nothing as the class ended.

**... ...**

"That Keller is freaking _insane_!" Spring whispered, looking outraged as we sat down in the library. "I mean, if Robyn hadn't been there, that demon could have killed you before someone thought of something!" I shrugged, bending my head over the book in front of me.

"Thanks by the way, Robyn." She blushed, hiding behind her hair.

Spring put her hands on the table, too restless to sit down. "How can you not be angry about this Reed? I mean, when I got to you, you looked like you'd been tripped and beaten with a stick!"

Robyn looked up at that. "Reed, I could have sworn that the spell got there in time. Did he hurt you?"

I shook my head. "Nah, your spell was just a little powerful. It blinded the both of us." I smiled slightly, but she frowned.

"What about your bracelet, he shouldn't have attacked you if you had it on you." I laughed nervously.

"Yeah, I didn't get it out in time I suppose." She nodded, looking thoughtful.

We went back to reading, and didn't notice the time passing until Robyn looked at her watch and rose to her feet. "We better leave, lunch is going to start soon." She said, sounding preoccupied. Halfway to the Great Hall, she stopped suddenly. "Oh! I left something in the library, I'll meet you in the Great Hall, all right?" She didn't wait for a reply before taking off down the hallway.

"What was that about?" Spring asked, looking surprised. I shrugged, and we continued down the hallway.

**... Outside PoV ...**

Kyler Clarke looked up as a student stopped in the doorway of his class room. A Ravenclaw girl stood there, panting. She seemed familiar, but it took a moment to remember her name.

"Bishop, is there a problem?" She flicked her hair out of her face, grinning sheepishly.

"Sorry sir, but I just was wondering if you would sign this for me?" She held out a piece of paper, a pass into the Restricted Section of the library.

He scanned the pass, and raised his eyebrows slightly. "Why so interested in this particular subject?"

She shrugged. "I was just curious. Half-demons weren't mentioned so much in the lectures, and I thought that learning more about them would be interesting." He nodded, but suspected that there was more to this then the girl was saying. He debated for only a moment before signing the pass. _Why not? It shouldn't take her long to guess either way. _

**... ...**

**A/N Thank you Ash Colored Wings, Nizuna Fujieda, and team-damon-and-paul for your reviews! And extra thanks to for both reviewing and pointing out a mistake I made when posting the chapters. Also, thank you those of you that have favorited my story. Please tell me what you think! ^_^**


	7. Accusations and Invitations

When I entered the Great Hall, I didn't immediately notice that anything was wrong. The students that were already here were just as loud as usual, talking excitedly about something, while the teachers all looked grave, fidgeting and talking amongst themselves.

Spring grinned widely as I sat down. "Hey Reed! Did you hear the news?" I shook my head. "Well, apparently the demon we saw yesterday, the one that attacked you, escaped last night. Keller's furious, he's having a search organized for him."

I raised my eyebrows. "Didn't they have a guard or something?" She shrugged.

"If they did, I didn't hear anything about it."

"Huh." I looked up, scanning the hall, just in time to see Robyn walk through the door, looking utterly exhausted. Her tie was just slung around her neck, her clothes crumpled looking, and she swayed as if she was going to fall asleep where she stood. Spring followed my gaze, and waved, grinning broadly. Robyn waved back tiredly, but she started abruptly when her eyes landed on me. I saw her tense, eyes widening, and she seemed reluctant as she walked over to where we sat.

She sat on the other end of the table, keeping her head down as she scooped food onto her plate.

"Robyn, what happened to you?" Spring asked, looking concerned.

She looked up briefly, smiling slightly. "Nothing, I just stayed up all night reading again." She turned back to her plate, eating quietly.

Spring frowned slightly, but didn't say anything more. The other girl finished eating quickly, getting up to leave within a few minutes. "Well, I'm going to go stop by the library. We don't have class today, right?"

"Well, just a short lesson with Professor Clarke later, but other then that-" she nodded, and walked away hurriedly. Spring looked at me with a puzzled expression. "What was _that_ about?" I shrugged, looking at the retreating Ravenclaw in concern. I rose to my feet, bidding goodbye to Spring and following Robyn out of the room. I stopped by the common room briefly, and then immediately headed for the library.

I found Robyn sitting at a table in the corner, with stacks of books next to her and looking like she'd been there for days, rather then for only half an hour at the most. She didn't even look up as I approached, immersed in the book in front of her.

"That must be an interesting read." She jumped, looking frightened.

She shut the book quickly, stuttering slightly and fidgeting in her seat. "Ah, R-Reed! I-I was j-just, looking through a book real quick!" She laughed nervously, putting the book she'd been reading and the ones in the stack into her bag gingerly. I tried to catch a glimpse of the title, but the lettering on the spine was too worn and faded for me to tell what it said.

I frowned. "Are you alright?"

She laughed again, waving her hand innocently. "Of-Of course! What could possibly be wrong?" I shook my head and wrinkled my nose as the smell of the herb Keller had passed out filled the air. The expression on her face flickered, looking like she'd just solved a difficult puzzle but didn't like the answer. She smiled nervously, rising to her feet and swinging her bag over her shoulder. I stood where I was, and she backed away, toward the entrance of the library. "U-um, I have to go. I- forgot something in my common room."

I nodded hesitantly. "Alright, I'll see you later, I suppose." She opened her mouth as if to say something but shook her head.

"I-I'll talk to you later. Goodbye." She skittered away, and I frowned again.

**... ...**

"That was _horrible_." Spring groaned, slumping slightly. "Did you get _any_ of that?" I shrugged, handing her my test. She looked at it for a moment before looking back up at me. "Merlin I hate you. What is _with_ you and Robyn getting grades without even trying?" she griped good-naturedly, handing me back my test. I shrugged again, smirking slightly, before I heard footsteps approaching from behind us, and turned my head.

"Reed.. can I talk to you for a moment? In private?" Robyn stood there, looking determined, and I nodded hesitantly, saying a quick goodbye to Spring. She turned on her heel, heading for the school, with me trailing behind. She led me deep into the school, into one of the abandoned classrooms on the unpopulated half of the school. She walked in and turned, keeping her arms crossed and posture tense.

"You're part demon." I stood there in shock, rooted where I was. I opened my mouth to reply, but she interrupted me harshly, reaching in her bag and retrieving a book, waving it through the air accusingly. "Don't deny it, I've gone through this cover to cover. I only had to piece together what I already knew, and the conclusion was obvious. The fact that you can hear things from far distances, the coughing and disgust whenever that plant or something foul-smelling is in the vicinity, knowing when people are around without even looking up, and when I did a little bit of research, I found the most interesting thing. Sumner was the last name of a well-known _demon_ general during the Great Purge. In the final parts of the war, he disappeared, rumored to have fallen in love with a human. There wasn't a picture, but it would make sense that Loriq members would know what an enemy general would look like, and then, their reactions to you when they first saw you made _much_ more sense. You. Are. Part. Demon."

"..." I was speechless.

"There's no point in killing me, I owled everything I discovered this morning."

At this, I stepped forward, feeling panicked. "Owled? To who, exactly?" She tensed, messing with something in her hand and tossing something right at my face. I coughed, backing up quickly and wheezing as a horrible stench filled the room.

"I don't see why that matters. I only have one wizard parent, but even then I've heard stories about what demons did during the Great Purge. I'm sorry, but I won't let you do something like that to the other students." I covered my nose, breathing through my mouth as I looked at her.

"I'm not here to hurt anyone."

"I don't believe you." She said calmly, retreating towards the door.

"Ms. Bishop." a voice said, coming from the back of the room.

Both of us spun around, and Robyn said, sounding shocked, "Pr-Professor?" Dumbledore nodded, looking slightly amused. Merlin knows how long he'd been there.

"I apologize, I only just now received your letter. I must say that I'm impressed, Ms. Bishop. You're very intelligent for such a young age. However, it appears that a mistake has been made."

She narrowed her eyes, but her tone was still respectful when she replied. "What mistake, sir?"

He looked around at the classroom. "Well, to begin with, we'll need some furnishings to remain comfortable during this conversation." He waved his wand, and three chairs appeared, all facing each other, and the still lingering smell vanished. He sat down in one, gesturing for us to sit down with a smile. We did so, hesitantly, and he smiled cheerfully. "Now, Ms. Bishop, where to begin? Your theory is correct, your friend is indeed a half demon. However, all of the staff and the Loriqs are aware of her presence, although the later only just recently discovered this. A teacher informed them of her heritage, and she was forced to go through certain measures to be allowed to continue learning at Hogwarts. Ms. Sumner, if you would?"

I hesitantly rolled up my sleeve, unwinding the bandage carefully. The brand stood out against my skin, the area around it now a deep red color. Robyn gasped slightly, "Is that-?" Professor Dumbledore nodded.

"Ms. Sumner was forced to receive a restraint brand, to remain a citizen in our community. No student or teacher is in danger from her." He linked his fingers together, leaning back in his chair. "Now, Ms. Bishop, I believe that you have a critical choice before you. Ms. Sumner is no danger to the others around her, and wishes merely to be allowed to remain at Hogwarts to learn. However, it is up to you to decide whether or not you will reveal her true heritage to your peers."

"_What_?" I demanded, shocked. Both of them turned to look at me, and I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but _why_ would you allow her to do that, sir?"

He smiled sadly. "I apologize, Ms. Sumner, but I'm afraid that I can only assure Ms. Bishop that you are no danger to others, what she does with the information she's discovered is her own decision to make. Ms. Bishop, what are your thoughts on this matter?"

She kept her head down for a moment, before looking up. "I'm not sure, sir. Am I allowed to think about it?" He nodded. Both of us rose to our feet, leaving the room, and I rewrapped the bandages on my arm as I walked. When we got several hallways down, Robyn turned to me, looking completely serious. "No matter what I decide, you should know this: You're still part demon, and I still think you're dangerous to others, brand or no." She glared for a moment, and then turned on her heel, walking ahead of me in silence.

**... ...**

I walked into the Great Hall and headed for the Gryffindor table. I hesitated slightly when I saw that Robyn was already sitting there, but sat down opposite of her. She looked up and her face immediately went from a smile to a glare, which went unnoticed by Spring as she happily greeted me. James, Sirius, Remus, and Pettigrew arrived almost immediately after me, the first two sitting on either side of me.

Potter frowned as he served himself, looking at Robyn. "What's up with you, Bishop?" she shook her head, smiling slightly at him.

"Nothing." She shot me a cold glance before going back to her food.

"Oh!" Spring said, smacking herself in the head. "I almost forgot!" I froze at the familiar words, but otherwise didn't react. "Reed, you left so quickly today that you missed your letters! Don't worry, I didn't read them," she said, waving her hands in front of her. "Here you go." She passed me two letters, one written out in my aunt's familiar handwriting on a plain envelope, the other- I blinked in shock, dropping the letter on the table and staring at it blankly. The swooping handwriting that my mother favored stood out against the thick stationary, and I tried vainly to remember when I'd ever received a single letter from my mother _at all_, drawing up a blank.

_"To Reed Sumner, from Eryn Alina Parker," _James read over my shoulder, and I jumped slightly. "Who's that then, your neighbor or something?" I shook my head, staring at the letter as I tried to figure out _why_ she would feel the need to send me a letter, as opposed to her usual cool demeanor.

"My mother, actually."

"So the person you usually receive letters from is...?"

"Your aunt, right Reed?" Spring looked slightly concerned as she registered my mood change. "What's so wrong with getting a letter from your mum?" Sirius waved a hand in front of my face when I didn't answer immediately, and I narrowly recovered from my shock and stopped the other boy from taking the letter. I stuffed both letters into my bag, my mood ruined.

"Huh. Now that I think about it, why do you never get letters from anyone else? I mean, the only people I've ever even heard you _mention_ before is your aunt and your Muggle friends." I gritted my teeth, looking down at my plate as I ignored them.

"Aw, does someone have problems with their mummy?" Sirius asked condescendingly, and James laughed.

"I guess she can join the club, eh mate?" He grinned, clapping his friend on the back over my shoulder, and Sirius' face flickered before his usual grin returned.

"Why did she sign with a different last name?" Robyn asked, speaking up unexpectedly.

I looked at her with a cold expression, closely resembling the glare she'd given me before. "I don't see how that's any of your business, Bishop." She shrugged, narrowing her eyes.

"That doesn't change the fact that I'm asking, Sumner."

I snorted. "And I'm supposed to tell you why?"

She shrugged. "Because you don't want me to tell them about-" I sighed in annoyance, already knowing where she was going with this.

"My father didn't like my mother's blood lineage and isn't around anymore. She, in turn, doesn't like him or me. Happy?"

She gave me a look I didn't care enough to decipher, and the others were quiet as they looked at the two of us, Spring's eyes narrowed as she looked in between us. Of course, the two Gryffindors on either side of me had to ruin the silence first.

"So Bishop, what do you have on Sumner here?" Potter began.

"And what's going on between you two?" Black finished, raising his eyebrows.

I looked at him blandly before rising to my feet, not hungry any longer. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving." I left without another word.

**... Outside PoV, the Great Hall ...**

Everyone watched the short Slytherin storm away, while Robyn merely went back to eating. Spring looked at her in astonishment.

"What on earth _happened_ with you two? I thought that you got along fine until today."

James snorted. "No doubt Sumner was just being her usual self. Sorry, but you're the only person that doesn't have a problem with her personality Spring."

She shook her head stubbornly. "No, I know her. She didn't have any problem with Robyn until just now, and something had to have happened for her to get that angry. And Robyn doesn't usually act like this."

The Ravenclaw looked up, smiling slightly. "I just don't like her. Sorry if that offends you."

Spring's eyes narrowed. "And what spawned this sudden dislike? You got along fine before now."

She shrugged, and didn't make a comment. The Gryffindor scowled slightly, and continued trying to get information from her friend, neither of them noticing the two boys rising to their feet, sharing a look as they left the Great Hall.

All of this was watched in silence by a pair of worried amber-colored eyes, and he waited for a moment before rising to his feet and following behind his friends.

**... Reed's PoV ...**

I cracked open Aunt Eeva's letter first, scanning through the words written.

'_Hello Reed! _

_Your mother was acting odd yesterday. She was scanning over some letter and talking to an official looking bloke, and get this: she actually looked angry! Imagine, the ice queen actually showing emotion! She looked like she was going to punch the poor bloke! When I asked what was going on, she only said something about you being just like your father, and went off to another part of the house. Not two minutes later, she asked me to add in a letter with the one I was already going to send. What on earth is going on? Did someone attack you again? What kind of school are you going to, for them to allow their students to be-' _

I scanned over the rest of the letter, mainly concerned questions and threats to whoever had done something, and smiled slightly. Aunt Eeva never changed. I sighed, leaning back against the hallway wall and eyeing the other letter darkly. What could my mother _possibly _have to say? I picked up the letter warily, cracking open the seal and pulling out the thick stationary. The letter itself was simple and short.

_'To Reed Kalyn Sumner,_

_Stay out of trouble. I don't need another official coming to tell me they had to put you down thanks to your father's influence. I will see you during your next break._

_Sincerely, _

_Eryn Parker'_

That was it? That was _it_? A few cold words, and then a dismissal. It sounding entirely like a letter from a complete stranger. I wasn't sure how long I sat there, staring blankly at the letter, as if the more I read the words, a hidden message would show itself.

The thick paper crumpled as I clenched my hand around it, glaring at the expensive paper hatefully. So a Loriq member comes to our house, tells her what happened, and she gets angry at _me_? I stood, glowering at the wall across from me unseeingly. My fist tightened, and I drew my wand, pointing it at the letter in my other hand and muttering a quick spell, releasing the paper. It drifted to the ground, and I watched with no small amount of satisfaction as it fell in on itself, burning until there was nothing but ashes left. I kicked at the pile, scowling and muttering to myself.

"Reed?" I spun, still glaring and clutching my wand, looking into light brown eyes, flecked with amber. Remus held up his hands in surrender, smiling gently. "Sorry, I shouldn't have snuck up on you." I slowly lowered my wand, inwardly hitting myself for not paying attention. He walked forward, looking me in the face. "Are you alright?"

I shrugged. "Why wouldn't I be?" I still felt furious at the cold letter, but kept the anger from showing on my face as he looked at me, slightly disbelieving.

He started to say something, but seemed to think better of it. "What happened between you and Robyn?"

I turned, grabbing my bag and slinging over my shoulder. He easily fell into step next to me as I walked down the hallway. "We had a disagreement."

"About your parents?" When I turned to raise my eyebrows, he shrugged. "It made the most sense, considering what you were arguing about earlier." Perfect. No doubt he was _also_ going to figure out about my heritage. I would have to be more careful.

"Yeah, about my parents." I turned to look ahead, not saying any more, and felt relieved when he didn't ask anything else about our argument.

After a brief moment of silence, he spoke again. "So, are you going to go to the Quidditch game next week? First game of the season, you know." I blinked at the subject change.

"No. I'm not all that interested in Quidditch." He laughed slightly as we rounded a corner, just wandering randomly through the halls.

"Be thankful that James and Sirius didn't hear you say that. They'd take it personally." Oddly enough, as he said that, I suddenly smelled the two Gryffindors in question. I shook my head. _I'm going crazy..._

"What about you?"

"I'm obligated to go. Sirius and James managed to join the team this year, so there's no way I could get away with not going." Then, in a quiet tone that I wouldn't have heard without my enhanced hearing, he muttered. "And it's not even close to that time." I didn't comment, mentally filing away that accidental hint.

He widened his eyes slightly. "Oh come on. Cameron and Victoria already said that they would go, what's the harm in you coming as well? You won't have to take part, just sit with us!" Victoria? My mind went blank for a moment before I remembered that was Spring's actual name. It was odd hearing her called by anything other then her nickname.

"Sorry, I'm not a fan of crowds. Is Bishop not going to go?" He shrugged.

"As far as I know, she's going to sit with the other Ravenclaws." He thought for a moment. "You would be able to wear something other then the school uniform. As long as you wear a red hat, no one will recognize you. Plus, you could see us completely crush the Slytherins." He grinned, a competitive glint in his eyes. I smiled slightly.

"I don't know, my house won't give in easily."

"We'll see about that. So you'll come?" I hesitated. It would be pretty loud in the stands, not to mention the lack of personal space the students would have. _Isolation, while leaving little room for anyone to harm you, also leaves you with few actual people that you can rely on._ I remembered Dumbledore telling me, and I sighed inwardly.

"Sure. Why not?" he grinned happily, and we continued walking. I could have sworn, as we continued talking, that I heard other footsteps following us. A soft snicker echoed behind us when I turned, seeing nothing but the empty hallway behind us.

**... ...**

**A/N Well, there's the seventh chapter. So, I've written, *looks at paper* six chapters, with 25,784 words, and recieved **_**eight**_** reviews~! Huzzah! Thank you Nizuna Fujieda, Ash Colored Wings, and RayneRodgers20 for all of your reviews! And thank you Kayla for pointing out a flaw in my writing, I'll make sure to fix that! ^_^ For the rest of you, please review. I'm willing to hear everyone's opinion, no matter what it is! Remus is being sweet, Robyn is being rude and suspecious, so what do you think? xD**


	8. Ms Ravenclaw and Old Friends

I tugged on the red and gold hat slightly, making sure that my hair was still tucked underneath it. My bangs hung loose over my face, hopefully hiding my bright orange eyes. Those would probably be a give away to most of the students in our year.

I leaned against the archway leading outside, staying out of the way of the students crowding outside as I waited. Excitement filled the air as everyone made their way to the Quidditch fields for the first game of the season. Students were all either clad in red and gold or silver and green, all holding lags or banners, even with charmed hair colors and painted faces, chanting names as they made their way to the stands.

I looked around. This _was_ where I was supposed to meet the others, right? I could have sworn- Someone tapped me on the shoulder, and I turned to see Spring standing there, smiling slightly.

"Excuse me, have you seen my friend? She's-"

"Right here?" I raised my eyebrows. I may have hidden my hair, but it was hard to believe that she hadn't recognized me just from my height.

"_Reed_?" Spring blinked, and then grinned sheepishly. "Sorry. I didn't recognize you without the headband and Slytherin colors. Where did you find the tie?" I glanced down at the Gryffindor tie and smirked slightly.

"Ms. Perfect." the Gryffindor deadpanned.

"Honestly. What is _with_ you and poor Lily?" I shrugged, looking behind her, at the other students approaching. Lupin smiled, approaching quickly, and behind him-

My smile disappeared, a scowl slipping onto my face easily. Robyn gave me a cold look over Remus' shoulder, and the poor guy looked shocked at my glare. He looked over his shoulder, and then looked back at me with a curious expression.

"She wanted to sit with us, and Cameron changed her mind at the last minute. Where did you get the tie?"

"Ms. P-" "Don't ask." Spring and I said at the same time, and she shot me a look.

"No really, don't-" "The Princess." He looked back and forth between the two of us, raising his eyebrows.

"Okay..." I flipped the tie up, showing him the initials on the other side, and he nodded, grinning. "Well, let's get to the stands, shall we?"

"Unless you'd like to steal something else Sumner." Robyn shot, not even looking at me. I clenched my jaw. Her opinion of me certainly hadn't improved, nor had I made much of an effort to prove myself to her. She hadn't told anyone else of my heritage so far, or even spoken to me when we weren't around Spring and the others.

I didn't reply, falling into step next to Lupin and Spring, heading for the stands. They sat on either side of me, Robyn sitting in front of us.

An ear-bursting cheer sounded around us as the Gryffindor team ran onto the field, arms held high as they waved, going to meet the opposing silver and green team. Even from this height, I could make out the names on the back of the uniforms, seeing the shorter figures of James and Sirius toward the middle of the group. The large team captains shook hands, a whistle was blown, and the game began.

James and two other players flew for the red ball, the Quaffle, and tossed it back and forth with skill, making the first goal of the game. Sirius and another beater dove into the game quickly, flying around in a flurry as two other players hovered over the game, looking down intently.

"THAT'S THE FIRST TWO POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR!" the announcer began his play-by-play.

The Slytherins took possession of the Quaffle, but a well placed bludger quickly took out their chaser, and Gryffindor made another goal. A large brute on the opposing team scowled, flying directly at one of our chasers, kicking him harshly. The chaser swerved, trying to get away as a Bludger was hit right at her. She narrowly avoided it, receiving another hit from the brute. Sirius scowled, diving and hitting the Bludger right at the other chaser, hitting his broom expertly.

"...AN EXCELLENT HIT BY GRYFFINDOR BEATER SIRIUS BLACK...!" the announcer yelled.

The chaser began spiraling towards the ground, barely getting back in the air as Gryffindor took the opprotunity to get another goal. A Slytherin beater hit the Bludger at James, and he dropped the Quaffle, the Slytherin chasers quickly making a goal. They went for another, but the Keeper hit the red ball back at the red-clad chasers, and they flew for the other goal.

For once, I was thankful for the annoying ravings done by Sirius and James about Quidditch- there was no way I would understand any of this if I hadn't listened to their conversations in the Great Hall. Something gold flickered into view, and I narrowed my eyes.

"Lupin." he looked over, hearing me even over the loud roar of the crowd. "Is that-" I pointed at the small glimmer of gold hovering near the Slytherin's goal post, and he squinted at where I was pointing, not seeing. Suddenly, the two Seekers hovering over the field dove, going directly for where I was pointing.

"THEY'VE SEEN THE SNITCH!" The announcer yelled. The Slytherin Seeker was ahead by quite a bit, and Sirius looked over at them with narrowed eyes. He ignored the Chasers going for another goal, and hit the Bludger directly at the Seekers.

I leaned forward, shocked, when the Bludger hit the opposing Seeker dead on, the Gryffindors cheering as their Seeker dove for the Snitch, hand closing around the glittering ball. He flew into the air, holding up his hand triumphantly, and the roar from the Gryffindor team was overwhelming.

"We did it!" Spring yelled, grinning widely and jumping up and down. I grinned in excitement, laughing in relief. Lupin smiled as well, the Gryffindors cheering wildly all around us. My eyes widened as I was swept up in the overjoyed crowd, chanting as they held the Gryffindor team over their heads, heading for the school.

I couldn't get away from the crowd, and they stormed down the halls. Someone grasped my arm, and I looked over, glaring. Remus smiled reassuringly, and Spring latched onto my sleeve, trying to keep together in the crowd.

"I have to get out!" I yelled over the cheers, figuring that they were heading for the Gryffindor common room. If so much as one person realized that I was in their common room..

Spring shook her head. "You won't make it! Just keep your hat on!" I sighed, and the crowd went through a portrait in the wall, entering the warm-looking red and gold common room. The crowd dispersed only slightly, letting the players stand and gathering around them. I snuck toward one of the couches, and someone began passing out drinks and food as the party began.

The crowd was blocking my only exit, and Remus and Spring were on the other end of the room. I caught the occasional form of Robyn drifting through the crowd, no one noticing the Ravenclaw in their midst.

Someone sat next to me, holding out a bottle. "Hello, I don't believe we've met." Light grey eyes looked me over, as Black grinned charmingly. I made sure to look at him through my bangs, trying to find a way out as I accepted the bottle hesitantly. "Are you in my year?"

"Yes." I said quietly, hoping he didn't recognize my voice.

"Well, I'm ashamed of myself. How could I have possibly not noticed someone like you?" He leaned forward, squinting. "Mind you, you do seem familiar.. Have we talked before?"

"Something like that." I looked away, not drinking out of the bottle he'd given me. "I'm friends with Spring." I said vaguely, knowing that with how many people she talked to, that wouldn't tell him much.

"Heh, isn't everyone? I'm Sirius Black." he held out a hand, and didn't shake it.

"We've met." I couldn't find Spring or Lupin in the thick crowd, and the Gryffindor looked surprised for a moment before grinning.

"Well, no doubt it was one of the most amazing highlights of your life. Do I get a name?"

"No."

"Hm, how about a hint?" I shook my head, and he pouted slightly, leaning back. He was still wearing his dirty Quidditch uniform, and he flicked a lock of hair out of his face. "Hm, well I know nearly everyone in our year, especially in our house. You _do_ look slightly familiar... you aren't in Gryffindor." He said bluntly, and I snorted.

"Well _that _didn't take long."

"Hm... I'm betting that you're in Ravenclaw." He continued, ignoring me. "I saw Bishop earlier, and Spring doesn't hang around many Hufflepuffs, so I would recognize you if that were the case. The only Slytherin she hangs out with is Sumner, and there's no way that she would have the guts to show up here." He grinned triumphantly.

I didn't say anything, slightly surprised that he actually paid that much attention. He leaned forward, smiling. "So, Ms. Ravenclaw, were you impressed with the game?" I shrugged.

"It was kind of dull, actually." His jaw dropped, and I smirked inwardly. "Well, some of it was interesting, I suppose. There was some show off that nearly killed his own Seeker, but the rest of the players were fine." His eyes narrowed.

"Personally, I was impressed with that Beater's skills."

"It was all luck. I doubt that he even knew what he was doing in the first place."

"Yep, definitely a Ravenclaw." He muttered. "Actually, he's very skilled, and is very intelligent."

"I doubt that."

"It's true, he's a nice kind of bloke. You would like him."

I snorted. "I'm leaving. Goodbye Black." Unfortunately, he followed behind closely, not even struggling to keep up with my shorter pace.

"Oh come now, Ms. Ravenclaw, just give me a chance." he grinned. "You don't want to be the second person to turn me down, do you? It would crush my soul." He widened his eyes, and I scoffed.

"That would do the world a favor, Black." I weaved through the crowd, still looking for someone I recognized. People were still flooding in through the portrait hole, there was no way that I could get out yet.

He stepped in front of me, peering into my face carefully. "You know, you remind me of someone. Let me see your face." I looked around anxiously as he reached out to brush my bangs out of the way. I backed up, and he followed me until I hit a wall. I glanced around, no one was looking at us as I kept my head down, hand over my face.

The Gryffindor raised his eyebrows, knocking my hand out of the way lightly and starting to push my hair away.

"Oi!" Someone appeared next to us, looking at me. I glanced at Robyn in surprise, and she rolled her eyes. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere!." She glanced at the male in front of me blankly. "Sirius, why are you harrassing her?"

He backed off slighlty, sulking. "She wouldn't tell me who she was, it's not my fault!"

Robyn rolled her eyes. "We got caught in your crowd of adoring fans. Now, if you'll excuse me, we need to go find Spring."

I waved over my shoulder. "Bye idiot!" He watched us go with an odd expression, and Robyn pulled us into a secluded corner.

"You _completely_ owe me for that, Sumner." Her expression was slightly annoyed as she looked at me.

"Thanks, Bishop." I tried to sound sincere, and she nodded. She wordlessly led me into the crowd, stopping next to Spring.

The red head smiled widely. "Hey, there you are R-" I cast her a frantic look, and she cut herself off. "Robyn."

"Sirius was leering at her close to the fireplace." the Ravenclaw intoned, and someone nearby laughed.

"So _you're _the girl I saw Sirius pining after." James sat up from where he'd been lounging against the couch. "Nice going, you're only the second girl to turn him down."

"So I've heard." I replied boredly. "Now, if you'll excuse me." I turned to leave, and ran directly into Black, who'd apparently been standing behind me like a creeper.

"Well, would you look at that! We just keep bumping into each other!" he said cheerily, and I practically leapt away. I glanced at the portrait hole, empty for the moment, and wondered if I could make it if I ran.

"They were just about to leave." Spring said quickly.

"What's your hurry? It's not like you're a bunch of snakes or anything; we won't turn you in." James grinned. Snakes: Slytherins. Perfect.

"Now that the demon week's over, we have to get as much studying done as possible." I said calmly.

"For what? We haven't had any homework assigned- our first class isn't until tomorrow." Sirius raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms.

"Ah..." Someone joined us, standing behind me, and James and Sirius grinned.

"There you are mate!"

"Sorry, I was trapped in the crowd." Remus grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his hair.

I slipped away as they began talking, sighing in relief as I escaped the common room. _Thank Merlin..._ I headed for the Slytherin common room, stopping in front of the entrance way. I slid the hat off of my head, tucking it and the red and gold tie into my pocket. No need to anger the Slytherins any more then necessary.

**... ...**

When I walked into the Great Hall the next day, most of the Gryffindors were already sitting down to eat, chattering happily and seeming happier then usual. Sirius, however, was sulking, his head lying on folded arms as he stared at the table.

I sat down next to Lupin, glancing at the brooding Gryffindor curiously. "What happened to Black?"

James snorted. "He can't find the mystery girl he met last night. She turned him down, and now he's determined to track her down. Just give it up, mate." He said, looking down at his friend. Suddenly, his head shot around, and he grinned cheerily. "Good morning, Lily Flower!" Ms. Perfect scoffed, not replying as she sat down.

I snickered, and grey eyes looked up to glare at me. "Shut it, Sumner. We'll see who's laughing when she falls head over heels for me." At this, I outright laughed, and everyone looked at me oddly.

"What's with you today?" I shrugged, going back to my food. There was no way that I wasn't going to use this against Black. I grinned mentally, not saying anything as the Gryffindor began staring at the door with a determined expression.

I looked around, noticing my missing friend. "Where's Spring?" James shrugged.

"Said she had to go do something." He didn't seem concerned, and I frowned but didn't comment. After a few minutes, Spring finally walked through the door, walking next to Robyn, the former looking thoughtful. I froze, watching in slight horror as they approached. Had she told-?

"Sumner. " the Ravenclaw said, actually sounding slightly... civil, compared to the cold and angry reaction's she'd had before now.

I narrowed my eyes. "Bishop. What's going on?"

She just stared at me for a moment. "Nothing, Sumner." She turned to her plate to eat, reverting back to how she'd acted for the past week. I shook my head.

"So Bishop." Sirius began, narrowing his eyes. "That girl yesterday, with the dark brown hair and bangs coming out from underneath her hat, who was she?"

She looked up, her face blank for a moment before she tilted her curiously. "Who?"

His jaw dropped. "I was talking to her, remember? Muggle clothes: jeans, a dark shirt, Gryffindor tie, red and gold hat with her hair tucked underneith it. Long bangs, falling over her eyes. Red ribbon tied around the middle of her arm." I frowned, slightly disturbed that he remembered everything that I was wearing. How creepy.

Robyn shook her head, bewildered. "I don't remember her. Are you sure that you didn't imagine her?"

He scowled. "Fine, don't tell me. I don't need your help." He crossed his arms, looking even more determined. The Ravenclaw glanced at me, looking slightly amused before returning to her food.

"Oi, Black." He looked up, still scowling. "Ten galleons says that you can't figure out who she was without her or anyone at this table telling you."

"Well well." James began. "Feeling a bit daring, are we?"

"I wasn't talking to you, Potter."

He snorted. "I'll add in my own ten galleons betting that I can figure it out before him."

I grinned. "Fine. I already know who she is, just come by me with your theories."

Both boys narrowed their eyes. "And just how would _you_ know?"

I shrugged. "I saw her yesterday just before the Quidditch game, and recognized her."

Potter nodded, looking next to him. "Remus, mate, are you going to take part in the bet? You'll get the opportunity to cheat Sumner out of twenty galleons." The Gryffindor shook his head in amusement.

"I already know as well. Sorry, you're on your own."

"Tch, fine. What are the rules of the bet?"

I grinned. "You have a month to figure it out. You can ask for hints, but no asking for a name, and the person you ask is allowed to refuse to answer. If you lose, you have to give up ten galleons. Each." I might as well get _something_ out of this, besides getting to watch them make fools of themselves.

Sirius leaned forward, grinning evilly. "How about we make this more interesting: If either one of us wins, we get one favor. There aren't any limits to the favor, you just have to do what we want." I narrowed my eyes. Would it be worth it? Pft, as if they would figure it out in the first place.

I smirked. "Sure, I agree."

"Remus will be the judge." Potter announced, looking triumphant. "Come on, mate, let's go do some research." He and Sirius rose to their feet, leaving and muttering to each other.

I leaned back slightly, smirking. Hm, a chance to get twenty galleons _and_ mess with their heads? This was the best present I could have possibly been given.

Spring looked at me for a moment and then shook her head. "You're going to use this to mess with them, aren't you?"

I snorted. "Spring, you know me. Of _course_ I'm going to mess with them." I grinned.

**... ...**

A day later, the two Gryffindors plopped down on the grass next to us, frowning. "Okay, what hints are you willing to give?" James asked cautiously.

"She's not in Gryffindor." I kept focused on the music sheet in front of me, miming playing a flute with a quill. Aunt Eeva sent music books occasionally, and this one was just a recent arrival.

"Yes, we realized that." Sirius said impatiently. "What else?"

I shrugged, narrowing my eyes as I fumbled on a part, restarting from the former measure. "You realize that if you asked someone else they'll probably give you more information, right?"

"Pft. Spring, you going to answer?" She looked up, shaking her head.

"Sorry, I'm not taking part in this. You're on your own." she said distractedly, going back to the paper in front of her.

Potter sighed. "What about you, Bishop?"

"She's not in Gryffindor." the Ravenclaw said vaguely, turning the page in her book.

Sirius sighed, leaning back. "Well, thank you for being a huge help. Honestly, thank you." He scowled as we just ignored him.

"You're welcome Black. Glad to be of service. You ready to admit defeat yet?"

"Never!" the two boys said, sounding affronted. I smirked.

"You're never going to figure it out."

"We'll see about that, Sumner. You should give us more credit."

"I only give credit where it's due." I restarted the song, going through it a second time.

"Obviously not, considering our current conversation."

"About your incopetence? Thank you for proving my point."

"Tch." The wind blew off of the Black Lake gently, and I sighed, lying down the quill and looking around. There were only a few clouds in the sky, only slightly hot, the occasional breeze making this a refreshing day. I leaned back, wincing slightly as my arm twinged where the brand was. There were moments when it would act up, but none had been bad enough for me to complain.

"Oi, have you heard about our latest masterpiece?" James launched into a drawn out story about a prank he played on Severus, and I rolled my eyes.

**... Outside PoV ...**

"You were right." the voice sounded amazed as they watched one of the students say something, and the others laughed, paying attention to one student in particular. She was leaning back on her hands, dark brown hair falling nearly to her waist, a bright headband keeping bangs out of the way of her deep orange eyes.

"She looks just like him." A second voice said softly.

"Well, aside from the school girl outfit." a third voice said cheerily, and the first figure hit him.

"How is this possible? We were told-" yet another voice interrupted the second.

"He lied. She doesn't just _look _like him- she smells almost exactly like him. Aside from the human blood mixed in, of course." The man flicked a lock of black cherry colored hair out of his face.

"What should we do about her?" the third voice asked, for once not joking around.

"That's why I called you." silver eyes glanced at him in annoyance.

"We'll have to tell the others. If they find out any other way, she probably won't last too long."

"She won't last long either way." the third voice scoffed, his yellow eyes watching the girl intently. "We could have someone watch after her... What's going on with her arm?"

The other three men looked closely at what their companion was referring to, and all three hissed simultaneously.

"They wouldn't-"

"How dare they-"

"... did they even know?"

All three began talking at once, sounding furious as they recognized the placement of the bandaging on her arm, and the way she was holding herself, as if her forearm was still paining her.

"Maybe it's a coincidence. Surely their Ministry wouldn't dare-"

"Don't be naive." The second man hissed, eyes fixed on the bandages. "Of course they would, just to be able to claim a hold on Hayden."

"Perhaps we should try approaching the girl, just to verify what he told the truth on and what he didn't."

"What, and not tell the others until then?"

The first man shrugged. "They'll just send us out to do the same thing anyway. Might as well get it over with now."

A particularly strong wind blew toward the girl in question, and they watched as she stiffened, rising to her feet as she looked in their direction. The men didn't move, watching as the other students rose as well, talking to the half demon with concerned expressions, while one stood separate from them, following the brown haired girl's gaze with narrowed eyes.

"Interesting." silver eyes watched the two with a curious expression. "It seems that little Reed has inherited her father's sense of smell."

"And one of her classmates knows about Hayden. Look at her, she's acting like those Loriq members."

The second man tutted. "That's careless. No wonder she has the brand."

The half demon looked over as a concerned question was asked, and she shook her head, gathering her supplies and leaving hurriedly without a word.

The second man sighed. "I suppose we'll have to take care of the other student as well? And _then_ question Hayden's daughter?"

Soliel shrugged. "I don't see why we can't do both. We can take both to the others." The demons melted into the forest, vanishing for the moment.

**... Reed's PoV ...**

I walked quickly to the school, trying not to seem to shaken. Someone's hand landed on my shoulder, and I jumped slightly, turning with a hopefully stoic expression. Light brown eyes looked down at me calmly.

"Reed! What happened?" Spring asked, huffing as she stood next to Remus.

"Nothing, I have to go do something." I jerked my arm out of Lupin's grasp, walking away quickly. They followed behind almost immediately, but I didn't pay attention to what either of them said.

That smell... I recognized it the moment the breeze carried it to me. It was the same smell from when Keller had sicked the demon, Soliel, on the class. It was the smell of a demon, more then one from what I could tell. I debated telling Dumbledore or one of the other teachers, but decided against it. I could be wrong, and nothing had happened as of yet.

I blinked, looking behind me when I realized that I didn't hear any more talking. Robyn was walking behind me, eyes narrowed.

"What was that Sumner? Did you smell or hear something?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Obviously, it does."

"It's none of your business, Bishop."

Her eyes narrowed even further, but she didn't say anything, changing direction and turning down another hallway without another word. I sighed in relief, continuing to the Slytherin common room. I stayed in my room, doing anything to distract myself, not wanting to see anyone else at the moment. I skipped lunch and stayed until our dinner was halfway done, the only thing driving me to the Great Hall being my loud stomach. I popped in briefly, ignoring the person calling my name stoically as I snatched some of the food from the end of the Slytherin table, leaving as quickly as I'd came and munching on the scraps I'd grabbed as I walked.

One of the last things I processed at that moment was the smell of demons and yellow eyes staring at me right in front of my face.

**... ...**

I didn't say anything as my eyes flew open, arm throbbing as the air blew against my brand. I gritted my teeth, gripping where the brand burned against my skin and looking around.

Trees towered around me, and I couldn't see any sign of the school from where I was. I was probably in the Forbidden Forest, far away from the school. The question was, when did I arrive here? I looked up at the sky, the sun streaming in through the trees to my right. The sun hadn't sank yet, but why was I...? I heard a groan, and my head shot over to the sound, hand going for my wand. A girl was lying on the ground, face down, her black curly hair fanning against the ground. _Bishop._ She rose slowly, blinking owlishly before her gaze zeroed on me, eyes narrowing.

"Sumner. Where are we?" I shrugged, not moving from my spot as she shifted into a more comfortable position.

"The Forbidden Forest, I'm sure. Do you remember anything?" She shook her head, eyes darting around us.

"You've got a bruise on your forehead." She said simply, and my head throbbed in agreement. Huh. I lightly touched the large bump I hadn't noticed before with a frown. How had I not noticed that?

"So I do. Do you still have your wand?" I knew that we needed to get out of here as soon as possible, and waited for her reply. "Bishop?" Her gaze was focused on something behind me, eyes wide. I spun, eyes widening just like hers as I realized that there were people- _demons_ I realized when I processed their scents- sitting at the bases of trees, balancing on branches, watching with openly curious eyes. There were four in view, but there could be more, hidden from view. I narrowed my eyes suspiciously, not moving as I waited for them to speak.

"You weren't kidding." one said, breaking the silence. "She _does_ smell like him." He tilted his head to the side with an amazed expression, leaning forward on the high branch. Yellow eyes watched me from his narrow face, a few marks going across his cheek bones, light colored hair cut short to his head. Yellow eyes... I remembered him. He was there when I'd passed out.

"Why would I lie about that?" Another one said in annoyance, and I recognized the demon with a jolt. It was Soliel Saunder, the demon Keller had captured and let escape, although he looked better then he had before. Wearing new clothes, his black cherry hair pulled into an elegant ponytail, silver eyes watching me carefully. The markings I'd seen before stood out brightly against his skin, more of them on his face then the other demon. He leaned against a tree, arms crossed.

"I don't know, I just didn't believe you until now."

I heard Robyn shift behind me, and the other demons immediately tensed. "Reed, do you know these people?" I couldn't tell if she sounded more hesitant or accusing, and I shot her an incredulous look.

"_Really_? Do you _honestly_ think that any of this is on me?" She shrugged.

"I wouldn't put it past you." I shook my head, throwing my hands into the air.

"You should show some respect." One of the demons said coldly, unnaturally green eyes narrowing. "At the moment, little Reed is the only thing keeping you alive." He leaned back against his tree, dark hair blending in with the leaves behind him.

I raised my eyebrows. "How so?" The yellow eyed demon shrugged.

"We don't trust your little friend, but we're curious. Besides, we couldn't kill Hayden's daughter without asking a few questions first." he smiled slightly, and I nodded, slowly sinking to the ground. There was no point is standing, they could easily kill us either way.

"Such as?" The green-haired demon looked up at the canopy above him, and sounded like he was thinking outloud as he spoke.

"It's the oddest thing. Twelve years ago, Hayden returns to our clan, looking crestfallen and with nothing but a bag. Tells us that his wife and daughter were killed by angry demons that escaped before he could kill them."

Another demon spoke up, blue eyes narrowed at me. "We believed him- why wouldn't we?- and let him stay for a while to collect his thoughts. He then told us that he was going to track down the demons that had killed his family, and disappeared. We've only seen him occasionally since then, for brief amounts of time. All this time we thought you were dead, until Soliel came to us a few weeks ago saying that he'd met Hayden's daughter, going to a _wizarding school_ of all things, alive and well. Naturally, we thought he was crazy, until we saw you ourselves."

"And why is Bishop here?" I asked calmly.

"Because she isn't all that subtle. We could tell that she knows what you are."

The yellow eyed demon tutted. "Really, that's very careless of you."

I shrugged. "I wasn't expecting her to link things together so easily."

"But you also let their Ministry brand you. Honestly, do you even know _how_ to keep a secret?"

"Blame the Loriq member that knew who my father was, not me." I answered calmly, glancing at the black mark on my arm. So that was why the bandages were gone. "I take it that I look like Hayden? So many people have known what I am just by looking at me, I must look a little like him." At this, all of the demons looked at me in surprise.

"You don't know? Then Eryn must not have survived, she would have made sure that you knew more about your father." The blue eyed demon surmised, only to narrow his eyes as he scrutinized me. He raised his eyebrows. "Is that not the case?" I didn't respond, but he didn't seem to need an answer.

"You're the splitting image of your father. Although you're pretty short." The yellow eyed demon quipped, and I shrugged. It was odd that I was sitting here, having a casual conversation with these demons like they weren't still considering what to do with Robyn and I.

"How did you survive, I wonder?" The green haired demon asked, looking grudgingly curious. "I did some research, and the house _was_ attacked those years ago."

"I wouldn't know." I said boredly, and he quirked his eyebrows.

"Surely Eryn's told you what happened?" I snorted, but otherwise didn't reply. Soliel sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Well, this is unfortunate. The others will want to know about you, little Reed." He looked at me with a frown. "And as for your classmate..." They all turned to look behind me consideringly. "Well, what _are_ we going to do with you?" I debated for a moment before sighing inwardly and stepping forward.

"She doesn't have anything to do with this." They looked at me in surprise.

"You realize that she could have loads of her kind sent after you, right?"

"A few well-placed words would be all it would take..." I felt a pang of dread, knowing that they were right, but straightened my back in determination.

"I want to continue going to school, and I won't be able to do that if one of my classmates disappears. Especially with the Ministry watching me." Soliel nodded slowly.

"Why do you want to stay there, in particular? You could join the clan, find your father..." I shook my head sharply.

"I couldn't care less. Can we leave now?"

"Well, we _do_ need to talk to him before we make a decision..." The blue eyed demon said hesitantly, and the fair-haired demon nodded slowly.

"If you say so, little Reed. We'll be watching, to make sure that you're right. Be ready to talk to us again." I was inwardly surprised that they'd agreed so readily, and narrowed my eyes at the idea of talking to them again. That did _not_ sound promising. I turned to the Ravenclaw behind me, who had watched the conversation with a shocked expression.

"Well, let's get out of here then, shall we?"

**... ...**

I sighed in relief as the school finally came into view. I'd followed the smell of smoke- hopefully coming from Hagrid's hut- and was, thankfully, going in the right direction. As we exited the forest and began trekking toward the castle, the girl next to me finally spoke, for the first time since we'd left the demons behind.

"You... organized that, didn't you?" My head shot around, shocked that she would jump to that conclusion. "You talked to them far to easily, and convinced them to leave me alone with practically zero difficulty." She narrowed her eyes, and I fought the urge to facepalm.

"_Why_ would I bother organizing something as pointless as that?"

"To convince me not to tell everyone what you are. That's clever, but I'm not going to fall for something like that."

I shook my head. "You're barking mad." Neither of us said anything more as we continued walking to the castle in a thick silence. I had the sinking feeling that- because of her suspicions- I'd just lost any ounce of civility I could have possibly gained in the past few days from her.

**... ...**

**A/N Thank you FormofJane, Nizuna Fujieda, Awesome PJOHarry, Rima-chan, and Ash Colored Wings for all of your reviews. :3 I love how most of you seem to completely hate Robyn. xD Well, Sirius is being overly flirty, Reed's father is coming back to bite her in the but **_**yet again**_**, and Robyn certainly hasn't gained any other supporters in this chapter, so what do you think? Please review!**


	9. Blackmail and Close Encounters

"Okay, _what_ is going on?" Spring snapped, and I winced as she slammed her hands on the table. I glanced up, rolling my eyes slightly as I met yet another of Robyn's cold glares.

"Ask her." she said simply, and I shrugged at the Gryffindor's searching stare.

She sighed in frustration, scowling at the both of us. Potter looked up from his plate- a rare thing, that- and an eyebrow rose. "Oh come off it. Sumner, say sorry for whatever you did this time. Or at the very least leave, you're stinking up the entire table." I snorted.

"Fine." At this, everyone nearby looked up in shock, and I snatched a roll as I stood up. "Bishop, I deeply apologize for my parentage. I sincerely hope that you'll forgive me. _Obviously_ I'm at fault."

"You could have just avoided coming here." she shot back. "And that doesn't change what you did before."

"You're right, how could I forget about your obvious resentment of me drawing unwanted attention to yourself. Oh, but I planned that, didn't I? Completely under the noses of my teachers? My bad." I shook my head, leaving. Over a week of stony silence, hostile glares, not-so-subtle comments- I could have received the same treatment at the Slytherin table. I might as well sit there and spare the others.

"Oi, wait!" I didn't turn as a pair of footsteps followed after me quickly. They didn't stop when they reached me; instead, an arm was slung over my shoulders, turning me in a different direction as Black's voice sounded to my right.

"_You_, my utterly hated Slytherin, owe me. Twenty galleons, if I'm not mistaken."

"Is that so." He led me outside, and I reflexively looked away from the Forbidden Forest.

"You see, I've been talking to quite a few people, including Bishop. She told me the most interesting things." He paused, and tutted when I didn't reply. "For instance, I discovered that almost every one of Evans' ties have disappeared. And all but one were _not _taken by James. You also have a liking for color- something that I'm not completely inclined to believe- and an unnamed but reliable source informed me that you've recently hurt your arm. Something that would be hidden by, say, an armband?" He grinned, tapping my bandages.

"So, why don't we reintroduce ourselves? I'm Sirius Black, and _you_ are Ms. Ravenclaw, also known as Reed Sumner." He dropped something on my head, and I blinked as I realized that it was the hat I'd worn that day. A hat that had been in my _locked_ trunk in my _locked_ room in the girl's dormitories.

"And you got this how...?" I narrowed my eyes at him, and he shrugged in return.

"Unimportant at this time. Now, for that favor that you promised.." I snorted, interrupting him.

"You really expect me to keep my word? Take your money and leave, Black." I fished out his galleons and shoved them in his hands, walking away, only for him to grab my arm.

"Ah ah, Sumner, I figured that you'd say that. Which is only fair, I suppose, you _are_ a slimy Slytherin after all. Which is why I'll be telling the other Gryffindors about how you snuck into our party and know the common room password. How do you think they'll feel about that?"

"I couldn't care less." I scoffed, feeling my heart sink. It was only our second year, but I would already have at least two if not three of the four houses out for my blood.

"You can't fool me." he shook a finger in front of my face. "And this is why I've decided to change the conditions of my winning. _You_ are going to answer any questions I have, at any time during the year, and you'll do whatever I, James, or Remus ask. Or Peter." He added, as if as an afterthought. I actually laughed slightly at that.

"I'd rather take my chances with the rest of your house."

"You won't. Because, in exchange, I'll keep them off of your back. No more tripping you up in the hallway, stealing your stuff, dumping ink on your books and notes, invading your room, dying your clothes red-"

"What?"

"None of that." he grinned. "So what'll it be?"

I pretended to think for a moment. "No."

He grinned. "Excellent! So- wait, what?" he blinked owlishly.

"No."

"But.. What?" He shook his head slowly. "No?"

I snorted. "Do you need a hearing aid, Black? Can you not understand basic words? No, I will not accept your deal."

"I'm not sure what that is, and nothing you're saying is making any sense. No? It's a great deal!"

"You're threatening me. I'll deal with your house, but I'm not doing anything that strikes your fancy just because you threatened to run to your house." He just stood there, staring blankly into space. I slipped away while he tried to process my denial.

... ...

I gritted my teeth as I slowly rose from the grass, looking down blankly at my clothes. Ink covered my entire front, soaking into my clothes. My bag laid where it had fallen on the ground, and I didn't miss that the seams had split cleanly on the bottom, my things scattered on the grass. I flicked my wand, the bag repairing as I muttered the spell and began recovering my books.

As I reached out, the books scooted away from my hands, and I resisted the urge to sigh. This again? Laughter sounded from behind me as I tried to grab for my books and I felt my eye twitch. I turned, wand in hand, but before I could do anything someone offered one of my books.

Remus grinned slightly, kneeling to help pick up the rest of my supplies and handing them to me. I eyed him warily, accepting them quickly before he revealed the catch.

"What did you do?" He asked simply, shooting a glance at the group of Gryffindors- all of whom resorted to glaring to make their point while he was nearby.

"Refused to give into Black's blackmail." I glared back in return, continuing my walk to the tree. He laughed weakly.

"That explains it. He won't give up, you know. You might as well just give in." He said, his voice wavering slightly.

"Nah. They're no more annoying then he is." I hesitated, but didn't comment as I sat down near the lake. He sat down gently next to me, reclining back onto his arms.

"Fair enough. Did you understand McGonagall's assignment? I'm not so sure about my essay, I might not have focused enough on the actual physics of internal transfiguration. Do you mind-"

He kept up basic conversation, and we both avoided mentioning anything important as we ignored the group of Gryffindors watching us from a distance entirely.

"There's no way."

"I swear, he jumped onto the table and cowered. I'll carry the sound of him shrieking to my grave." He grinned.

"Seriously? Black, cowering at the sight of-? He's _never _living that down."

"Well, to be fair, he has his reasons. When he was little-" He winced suddenly, gasping. I stared at him curiously, and he shot me an apologetic glance before an explosive cough emerged, and he nearly doubled over as he coughed into his hand. I shot forward, hand hovering over his shoulder as I panicked. Was he choking? Should I hit him in the back? Get some help? But he could die by the time someone listens to me, or-

He gasped again, and I spoke hurriedly. "Look, you need to stand up, we've got to get to the Hospital Wing." He just kept his head down, coughs racking his body, and I hesitantly touched his shoulder. "Remu-" A hand shot up from the ground, fingers wrapping around my arm tightly. I winced, feeling the brand underneath his hand burn fiercely. His fingers were tight for a moment, and I could see the muscles in his hand spasming. His shoulders shook harshly, and I tugged on my arm slightly. He resisted, and I grabbed his wrist.

"Lupin, we need to get to the Hospital Wing." He didn't say anything and then, slowly, he nodded, gasping slightly. He shakily rose, leaning heavily as his grip tightened. We only made it a few steps before his legs collapsed, nearly sending us both to the ground before he regained his balance.

"So-" He stumbled again, muscles in his arms spasming. He collapsed, dragging me down next to him. His grip tightened even further before he suddenly let go, coughing once, twice, and then stopping.

"Lupin? Remus!" I shook him, ignoring the flash of pain in my arm as he slowly looked up. "Oi, we need to get up, come on!" He weakly shook his head, waving me away. I looked around, furious that none of the Gryffindors- or _anyone_, for that matter- was around, all closer to the Black Lake, taking advantage of the warm afternoon.

He remained doubled over for a long moment, his breath slowly evening before he looked up. Guilt and... another emotion I didn't recognize filled his expression as he glanced at my arm. "Oh Merlin.." He grabbed my arm, tugging on the bandages quickly. I choked, yanking it back and holding on the wrappings over my brand.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, but he was, if possible, even paler then before. Following his gaze, I realized that there were marks where he'd latched onto my arm, small crescent-shaped cuts where his nails had cut me. It would be alright in a few days, but he quickly scooted away, horror flashing across his face.

"Merlin, Reed, I'm so-" He clenched his jaw, shaking his head. I sighed, brushing off my skirt and glancing at him.

"Coming? You need some medicine, preferably before you kneel over, which would no doubt lead to me feeling guilty for the rest of my life and getting stoned to death for your death. It would be a short rest of my life." He nodded, keeping his head down as he rose. We walked in silence, and I rewrapped the bandages tightly as he kept a careful distance between us.

As we neared the castle I spoke. "Are you alright?" Even to myself that sounded annoyed and awkward, and I tried to soften my tone. "I mean, has this happened before?" Still awkward. "Are you going to be alright?" I winced, sighing slightly. This was another reason to avoid people.

He laughed slightly, but immediately stopped. "I'll be fine, but... I'm sorry that you had to see that." His shoulders were tense as he walked, and his hands were clenched tightly in his pockets. I caught snippets of him muttering quietly to himself. "Stupid... shouldn't have... should have known better..."

I shrugged, and we get the chance to speak further as we almost literally ran into Potter and Black. The later's eyes widened, and he rushed over to his friend's side.

"Remus! You look awful, what happened?"

"I'm fine, I just feel a little bit sick. We were just on our way to the Hospital Wing." He explained calmly, and I frowned at how easily he lied to them. Shrugging inwardly, I tried to walk away while they were distracted.

"We..?" Potter turned, eyes narrowing as he caught me in mid-step. "Sumner! What did you do to him?" I shot him a glance and made a point in rolling my eyes.

"He started to feel dizzy and almost collapsed. I tried to catch him and fell, leading to him insisting on the both of us needing to go to the Hospital Wing. You can clearly manage getting him there on your own, so I'll just.." I tried to slip away yet again.

"No! You need to see Madam Kingsley about the bruise from.. where you fell. It was my fault, I at least have to make sure that you take a potion for it." I stared at him for a moment.

"I'll go later. It's not nearly as important as your _nausea_, is it?" He flinched, and I walked away without another word.

... ...

I walked into the Great Hall, not even glancing at the Gryffindor table as I snatched a few rolls off of the table, glancing up out of habit- I froze. My luggage, everything that I'd brought with me, everything that was supposedly in my room, was floating above me. Clothes paraded above the spectator's heads, books zoomed and twirled above the Ravenclaws, the few letters that I'd kept remaining just in sight of everyone, pictures, sheet music, and my flute, all doing little tricks above everyone as they ate breakfast, laughing and pointing. Some people reached up, grabbing letters and laughing amongst each other as they read them. At least none of them were all that important. I sighed, flicking my wand and muttering softly. Nothing. Of course.

Panic grew as I caught sight of my flute- completely unprotected and separate from its case- whiz past, just overhead. I tried to catch it as it flew by, and heard laughter as I jumped to grab it, hoping that it wouldn't break-

It gently floated down, and an apologetic Spring handed it to me before going into a hushed argument with Black. She helped me return all of it to the dungeons.

... ...

I stared at the parchment in front of me blankly, watching as ink dripped from the table.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry, that was a complete accident, I should have been watching where I was going-" she continued on and on, eventually getting out her wand and flicking it, causing the ink to disappear. Along with every essay that I'd finished. Stacks upon stacks of empty parchment sat there, mocking me, as I let the quill fall from my hand and onto the table. _Ink again. Why do they always use ink? Every time, without fail..._ I looked up into the light hazel eyes of a Gryffindor girl, one I'd never seen before.

"Again, I'm really sorry-" the group behind her snickered "- Professor Dumbledore asked me to deliver this. Sorry!" She hurriedly finished apologizing, walking away quickly when I didn't respond. The open letter laid on the desk in front of me, the only paper remaining that was still legible.

... ...

A cheerful voice called for me to enter, and I hesitated for a moment before complying. Dumbledore stood near his desk, looking up as the soft whirring sound of his machines filled the room. On the desk, a familiar old hat sat, much more silent then it had been when I'd seen it before. He turned as I walked in, smiling cheerily.

"Ah, Ms. Sumner! You seem to be coming into my office quite often this year." His eyes twinkled. "With any luck, this time... shall not be quite as troubling as the last. Dramatic, certainly, but not-"

"For goodness' sake, Dumbledore, get on with it." An annoyed voice spoke, and the old man grinned as I stiffened. I hadn't noticed the second person occupying the room, hadn't heard or smelled them. That... had never happened before. But she was undeniably there, leaning against the wall, wearing a uniform and the colors of Ravenclaw. Dark, nearly black bangs slashed across her forehead, partly blocking one eye as she stared at me with a mix of annoyance and curiosity. Her face was lean, and the way he held himself was familiar. Almost like-

"But where are my manners? Ms. Sumner, this is... Angel Love." I glanced at him, raising an eyebrow slightly, and his mouth twitched upwards into a small smile.

"Is there a problem?" The girl snapped I looked back at her, eyebrow raising even further. Her voice was a little deep for a girl.

"Your name is _seriously_ Angel Love?" I asked, skeptical. Honestly, it _was_ stupid. Slightly funny, but still. She shrugged, scowling.

"My parents were cruel and have a poor sense of humor." His scowl deepened as I laughed. He started forward, but whatever he was planning on saying was interrupted by a quiet cough from Dumbledore. Both of our heads shot around, and he smiled slightly.

"Mr. Love, may I introduce you to Reed Sumner? She-" I choked, and he looked at me in polite amusement.

"M-_Mister_?" I glanced at 'him,' and my shoulders shook as I tried not to laugh. "You're a _guy_?"

"And you're a female, as far as I can tell. Like I said, my parents are cruel. Problem?" he snapped, glowering at me from the most feminine face I'd ever seen.

"No, not at all." I bit my lip as I tried not to laugh out loud. His scowl deepened, and I couldn't help but let a laugh escape before I could control myself. "Sorry Professor, you were saying?" I asked, struggling to keep a straight face. He smiled in bemusement before continuing.

"Ms. Sumner, Mr. Love has some... shall we say unique circumstances involved in his enrollment so late in the year. Mr. Love, if you would...?" he said, ignoring my snicker. The boy shot me another glare before complying, doing nothing when a new smell filled the room. I stepped back from him immediately, eyes narrowing as he stared at me with a bored expression. Whatever had concealed his scent before was gone, and now the scent of a demon emanated from him, filling the room and covering up anything else as my brand burned.

**A/N I'm incredibly sorry for the long delay in between chapters, and I'll be sure to upload several more over the break to make up for lost time. Thank you Awesome PJOHarry, Nizuna Fuieda, FormofJane, Rima-chan, Ash Colored Wings, , KSVamp, ManyNamesMember,sarah0406, and tsukinoume11 for all of your reviews, I hope you review despite the long gap! ^.^"**


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